A bomb attack on a packed market in northeastern Nigeria bearing the hallmarks of militant Islamist group Boko Haram killed about 50 people, sources said.
The explosion happened at 1.30pm in the town of Sabon Gari in Borno state, the heartland of the Islamist militant group.
“So far, 52 people are injured, 47 dead persons have been removed from the market,” Umar Kidda, a member of a civilian vigilante group, said.
Mr Kidda, who witnessed bodies being taken away, said the market was busy when the explosion occurred.
A military source who declined to be named said about 50 people had been killed. Boko Haram has killed thousands of people during a six-year armed campaign to set up an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria.
Raids and bombings
According to a Reuters tally, more than 600 people have been killed in raids and bombings by the insurgents since President Muhammadu Buhari took office on May 29th promising to crush the group.
At the start of the year Boko Haram controlled territory about the size of Belgium.
The army said it pushed the group from most of that area in the last few months with the help of troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon, but there has been a recent resurgence in militant attacks.
No one claimed responsibility for yesterday’s blast.
Boko Haram has been waging a six-year battle to impose their version of Shariah, or Islamic law, in Africa’s most populous nation, killing thousands and displacing more than 1.5 million people.
Mr Buhari visited Benin last week, which said it will contribute 800 troops to a regional military force combating Boko Haram. The conflict has drawn troops from neighbouring nations, and assistance from countries such as the UK and the US. – (Reuters)