Maiduguri, Nigeria, December 26: An explosion tore through a mosque during evening prayers on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state, a Reuters witness said, with no immediate word on casualties or official comment.
The blast struck the city at the heart of a long-running Islamist insurgency in northeastern Nigeria led by Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The violence has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions over nearly two decades.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion. Militants have previously targeted mosques and crowded places in Maiduguri using suicide bombings and improvised explosive devices.
Boko Haram launched its uprising in Borno state in 2009, seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate. Despite repeated military offensives by Nigerian forces and regional cooperation with neighbouring countries, sporadic attacks continue to threaten civilians across the northeast.
