A suicide bomber blew himself up on Thursday at a crowded market in Borno State, allegedly killing at least five people with several others injured.

Security sources said the bomber, who was suspected to be a member of the Boko Haram terrorist group, passed himself off as a grain merchant before the incident occurred.

He was said to have staged the attack in Amarwa village which is about 20 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital in Nigeria’s north-east region.

The attack, which is yet to be confirmed by the military or police, comes days after a failed Boko Haram attack on Christmas Day in Maiduguri.

“Six people died on the spot from the explosion while 13 others were seriously injured,” Babagana Kolo, one of the civilian joint taskforce told AFP.

“The injured have been brought to the general hospital here in Maiduguri while the dead have been buried in the village,” he said.

A local militia Ibrahim Liman also said the assailant went to a shop holding a black plastic bag around 11:30 am and asked the shopkeeper if he would buy grains but the shopkeeper said he was not interested.

“The bomber then walked to a group of people chatting nearby and detonated the explosives concealed in the bag he was carrying,” Liman said.

Amarwa has suffered several Boko Haram attacks in the past eight years in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions of people.

In recent months, the terrorists have stepped up their attacks on military and civilian targets, despite claims by the Federal Government and the military that they were winning the war against the insurgents. (Channels TV)

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