Boko Haram: 50 dead as bomb hit Maiduguri market

A bomb blast has hit a busy market in the city of Maiduguri on Tuesday, killing as many as 50 people, according to eyewitnesses.

A man blew himself up at Gamboru cattle market, according to witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. One said he counted at least 20 bodies.

Al Jazeera’s Yvonne Ndege, reporting from Abuja, said many reports are still coming in from eyewitnesses.

“We have managed to speak directly to a reliable source who is a member of the civilian Joint Task Force,” Ndege said.

“These are ordinary Nigerians assisting the miltiary in fighting Boko haram and our source says a serious explosion did take place at cattle market. A live stock market visited by hundreds of people everyday trading in livestock.”

“What is not clear is the exact number of fatalities according to the security and emergency services who we have reached out to in order to get clarification on how many people have been killed or injured and we are still waiting,” Ndege added.

More than 30 people had already died in attacks over the weekend.

President Muhammadu Buhari announced on Friday that he is moving the military’s headquarters from Abuja to Maiduguri to better tackle the rebellion.

The biggest city in northeast Nigeria is also the birthplace of Boko Haram.

On May 30, an explosion killed at least 30 people as 29 heads of state and leading diplomats were meeting in Abuja for the inauguration of the country’s new president.

Boko Haram: 50 dead as bomb hit Maiduguri market