Explosion hits packed mosque in Nigeria’s Maiduguri

It is feared that many people will die and be injured in the explosion that occurred in a mosque in Nigeria’s Borno state.

Eyewitnesses said that the explosion in the Gamboru market of Maiduguri, the capital of the state, occurred during evening prayers. One report suggests seven people were killed, but there is no official confirmation of any casualties.

Unconfirmed images on social media show people standing in the market area with dust particles in the air after the explosion.

No group acknowledged carrying out the attack, but militants had previously targeted mosques and crowded places in the region with suicide and improvised explosive (IED) attacks.

Maiduguri is at the center of the insurgency waged by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province.

Boko Haram’s military operations to establish an Islamic caliphate in Borno state began in 2009.

Security measures against the group have failed to prevent sporadic attacks on civilians in northeastern Nigeria.