Multiple Bombings of Nigerian Mosques Have Killed at Least 55 People Today

Nigerian mosques today have been hit by a fresh wave of suicide bombings, likely linked to the Boko Haram extremist group, killing at least 55 people. The latest attack at Yola Mosque in Adamawa state reportedly claimed 27 lives and injured 96 other people. This follows this morning's twin blast in the Boko Haram heartland of Maiduguri during pre-dawn prayers, where a further 28 victims have been confirmed dead.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for today's violence but it is expected, as with previous bombings, that the jihadi movement is to blame. PRNigeria reported this morning that: "The explosion was carried out by a suspected lone suicide bomber whose two accomplices escaped, when some vigilant members of the community accosted them on their suspicious movements."

Related: Suicide Bombers Strike Nigeria, Killing at Least 36 People

Ibrahim Garba, a resident of Maiduguri told the Daily Post: "So far to my knowledge, 15 mosques have been attack between August and October… and there is none with less than 20 deaths."

Since President Muhammadu Buhari took power in May, there have been nearly 1,000 casualties, despite the military's effort to meet his December deadline to eradicate Boko Haram.

The Nigerian government announced on Tuesday that it is in the early stages of establishing a Crisis Communication Centre in the northeast of the country in order to provide more comprehensive counter-terrorism information, and five members of Boko Haram were convicted on Thursday in Abuja.

Watch the VICE News Documentary, The War Against Boko Haram (Full Length):

There has also been a growing international effort to quell the violence. Last week, US President Barack Obama deployed nearly 300 troops, supported by drones, into neighboring Cameroon to conduct "reconnaissance and surveillance" operations. The president declared that the US will continue to support the Cameroonian government until their support is no longer needed, which with the death of eight villagers on Wednesday in Douala, is unlikely to be soon.

Related: Boko Haram Video Claims to Show Nigerian Soldier Beheaded as Blasts Hit Near Lake Chad

Islamic clerics in Nigeria have been outspoken in their condemnation of the actions of the group and have called for peace and unity. Malam Ishaq Adudu, a cleric in Nasarawa state, told the Nation: "We must condemn the activities of the insurgents that have resulted in the loss of lives and property. It is barbaric to take pleasure in killing human beings."

An estimated 20,000 lives have been claimed and 2.5 million people displaced by the Islamist group during their six-year insurgency.