MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA - At least 20 people were killed on Saturday when a young girl, thought to be aged about 10, blew herself up at a crowded market in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the Red Cross and vigilantes said.
At least 18 people were also wounded in the Monday Market bombing, which happened at about 12.30pm in the Borno state capital, police spokesman Gideon Jibrin said in a text message.
The incident came after a battle with Boko Haram Islamist insurgents in the northeastern city of Damaturu left five soldiers fatally wounded, the army said. Forces also began bombing the Islamist-controlled town of Baga.
Authorities in Africa’s largest economy and oil producer are struggling to stem raids and bombings by Boko Haram, which has killed more than 13,000 people since 2009.
Violence in the predominately Muslim north is rising as Nigeria prepares for next month’s elections.
President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the southern oil-rich Niger delta region, will face Muslim northerner and former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari on Feb 14.
Rescue workers are at the site of the Maiduguri market bombing and the death toll may rise, said Abdulkadir Ibrahim, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Authority.