Suspected suicide attack at Mosque in Nigeria's Maiduguri kills at least 7

In Nigeria's Maiduguri, an explosion at a packed mosque on Wednesday (Dec 24) killed at least seven worshippers. While the anti-jihadist militia leader Babakura Kolo has said that it was a suspected bombing, no armed group has claimed responsibility for the tragic explosion.

What happened?

On Wednesday evening, as the Muslim faithful gathered for evening prayers, around 6:00 pm (1700 GMT), a bomb went off inside the crowded mosque in the city's Gamboru market.

Malam Abuna Yusuf, one of the mosque's leaders, told AFP that at least eight people have died, though officials have yet to release a death toll.

"We can confirm there has been an explosion," police spokesman Nahum Daso. He said that they suspected that a bomb had been placed inside the mosque and exploded in the middle of the prayers. Some people have also described it as a suicide attack.

International NGO asks staff to stay away

As per AFP, following the attack, an international NGO in a security alert has asked its employees to avoid the Gamboru market area.

Videos of the explosion aftermath show the tragic scenes. One video shows a person covered in blood writhing in pain on the ground and bodies covered by sheets.

Deadly insurgency

A jihadist insurgency has plagued Nigeria since 2009; the UN reports that this conflict has resulted in at least 40,000 fatalities and the displacement of roughly two million individuals from their northeastern homes. Even though the violence has declined since its height a decade ago, it has reached Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Moreover, there is rising anxiety about a potential return to violence in the northeastern region, where insurgent groups, despite continuous military actions over many years, are still able to launch fatal attacks.