The Nigerian branch of the Islamic State (ISWAP) has taken responsibility for a bomb blast on Tuesday in Dutse, the capital of Nigeria’s northwestern state of Jigawa. Earlier reports indicated that one person was injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated around Hakimi Street in the evening. However, the terror group claims that three fatalities occurred in the attack.
This incident marks the first known attack by ISWAP in Jigawa, which shares borders with the northwest state of Kano and the northeastern state of Yobe. Both neighboring states have witnessed varying scales of ISWAP operations, with Yobe being one of the states hardest hit by the decade-long insurgency.
In May of last year, Jigawa Governor Muhammad Badaru urged residents to remain vigilant following reports of suspicious Boko Haram insurgent movements. Boko Haram is often used as a catch-all term for both ISWAP and its rival parent group, Boko Haram.
The Jigawa attack follows ISWAP’s recent claim of responsibility for killing three security personnel during an assault in Edo state, located in southern Nigeria.
