Bomb blast kills 6 in northeast Nigeria

A bomb blast in the northeastern Nigerian city of Potiskum has claimed the lives of six people.

According to witness reports on Sunday, a young girl blew herself up at a market in Potiskum, the commercial capital of the restive Nigerian state of Yobe.

“So far, five people were killed with the girl while 19 others have been taken to hospital for injuries,” said Buba Lawan, a local vigilante leader.

Witnesses said the girl was around seven years old.

On January 11, another bomb blast occurred around the same market, where new and second-hand phones are traded. The incident left six killed and 37 wounded.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the Sunday bombing. However, the Nigerian government blames such attacks on the Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” controls parts of northeastern Nigeria and says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its activities in 2009, which have left over 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million displaced.

The terrorist group is also accused of employing children in its bomb attacks.

Boko Haram has also conducted acts of terror in Nigeria’s neighboring countries, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.