An explosion ripped through a crowded mosque in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state, leaving at least five worshippers dead.
According to BBC reports citing local media, around 35 others were wounded when the blast struck during evening prayers at the Gamboru market area of Maiduguri, the state capital.
Videos circulating online, though not independently verified, appear to capture scenes after the explosion, showing people standing amid swirling dust in a busy market setting.
So far, no organisation has claimed responsibility for the incident. However, armed groups operating in the region have a history of attacking mosques and other densely populated locations using suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices (IED).
Maiduguri has long been a focal point of the insurgency led by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, as well as its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province.
Boko Haram launched military operations in Borno state in 2009 with the aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate.
Despite ongoing security efforts, authorities have been unable to fully stop intermittent assaults on civilians across north-eastern Nigeria.
