Suicide bombing in Nigeria mosque kills at least 50; police suspect Boko Haram behind attack
The blast happened during early morning prayers at the Madina mosque in the Unguwar Shuwa area of Mubi, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) by road from the Adamawa state capital, Yola.
"So far we have at least 50 dead from an attack at a mosque in Mubi," Adamawa state police spokesman Othman Abubakar told AFP.
"Several people were injured. We don't have the figure now because they have been taken to several hospitals for treatment.
"It was a (suicide) bomber who mingled with worshippers. He entered the mosque along with other worshippers for the morning prayers.
"It was when the prayers were on that he set off his explosives."
File image of people transporting body of a suicide attack victim for funeral in Maiduguri, Nigeria. AP
Asked who was responsible, Abubakar said: "We all know the trend. We don't suspect anyone specifically but we know those behind such kind of attacks."
The attack bore all the hallmarks of Boko Haram, the Islamist militants whose insurgency has left at least 20,000 people dead and more than 2.6 million others homeless since 2009.
Haruna Furo, head of the Adamawa state emergency management agency, and Musa Hamad Bello, chairman of the Mubi north local government area, both confirmed the attack.
They gave lower death tolls but both said the number of those killed was likely to rise.
Another emergency services official described the blast as "devastating". He said only that there were "high casualties".
Roof blown off
Abubakar Sule, who lives near the mosque, said he had just returned home when he heard the blast.
"I was there when the rescue was on and 40 people died on the spot and several others were taken to hospital with severe and life-threatening injuries," he added.
"The roof was blown off. People near the mosque said the prayer was mid-way when the bomber, who was obviously in the congregation, detonated his explosives.
"This is obviously the work of Boko Haram."
Boko Haram briefly overran Mubi in late 2014 as its fighters rampaged across northeastern Nigeria, seizing towns and villages in its quest to establish a hardline Islamic state.
The town's name was changed temporarily to Madinatul Islam, or "City of Islam" in Arabic, during the Boko Haram occupation.
But it has been peaceful since the military and the civilian militia ousted them from the town, which is a commercial hub and home to the Adamawa State University.
In recent months, Boko Haram activity has been concentrated on the far north of Adamawa state, around Madagali, which is near the border with neighbouring Borno state.
Earlier this month, at least two civilians were killed when dozens of Boko Haram fighters tried to storm the town of Gulak but were repelled by soldiers.
There have been repeated suicide bombings in the area, which lies not far from the Sambisa Forest area of Borno, where the militants had a base.
Boko Haram fighters are also said to be hiding in the Mandara mountains, to the east of Adamawa state, which forms the border with neighbouring Cameroon.
Nigeria suicide bombing kills 50 in Adamawa state
At least 50 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in the eastern Nigerian state of Adamawa, police say.
A bomber struck inside a mosque packed with worshippers during morning prayers in the town of Mubi.
Witness Abubakar Sule told AFP news agency that it appeared the bomber was part of the congregation.
No-one has said they were behind the bombing but the Islamist militants Boko Haram typically target crowded places in northern Nigeria.
Some 20,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram's eight-year insurgency.
The BBC's Ishaq Khalid reports that Boko Haram militants have recently stepped up suicide bombings in Nigeria's north-east after the military recaptured territories previously controlled by the group.
At least 45 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack in the same state last December.
In that attack two female suicide bombers detonated their explosives in a busy market.
Boko Haram at a glance
- Founded in 2002
- Known locally as Boko Haram, meaning "Western education is forbidden"
- Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
- Designated a terrorist group by US in 2013
- Declared a caliphate in areas it controlled in 2014
- Most territory recaptured by army
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