Nigeria: Explosion rocks Borno mosque during evening prayers

The blast took place in the city of Maiduguri, the capital of the restive Borno state in the northeast. No group has claimed responsibility for what authorities say was a suspected bombing.

An explosion ripped through a mosque in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri during evening prayers on Wednesday, news agencies reported.

The French AFP news agency cited local sources as saying at least seven worshippers died in the explosion. Nigerian officials have yet to provide details on the incident and the casualties.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far, but mosques have been targeted by militants before.

What else do we know about the mosque blast?

A bomb went off inside a crowded mosque in Maiduguri's Gamboru market, witnesses told AFP. The explosion occurred as Muslim worshippers gathered for evening prayers.

An anti-Islamist militia leader was cited by AFP as saying the bomb was suspected to have been placed within the mosque before exploding midway through the prayer. Other witnesses have described the incident as a suicide bombing.

Maiduguri is the capital of the northeastern Borno state, where jihadist groups like Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been active for nearly two decades.

Islamist violence in Nigeria has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across the country's northeast.

The city of Maiduguri has seen no major attack since 2021. But signs of the conflict remain in the city, with frequent checkpoints and military patrols.

Edited by: Rana Taha