Bomb blast kills five at bus station in north Nigeria

A scene of a previous bomb blast

A bomb exploded at a bus station in northern Nigeria's Bauchi state late on Wednesday, killing at least five people and wounding 12, police said.


As reported by Reuters, the blast, which struck the town of Azare, is likely to be blamed on Islamist Boko Haram militants, casting further doubt on government reports that it had reached a temporary ceasefire with the rebels in order to secure the release of more than 200 schoolgirls they are holding hostage.

Police did not comment on who was behind the attack.

The insurgents have repeatedly bombed public places since they launched an uprising demanding an Islamic state in religiously mixed Nigeria five years ago. They have stepped up their campaign this year, setting off deadly blasts across the country.

"Five persons burned beyond recognition were certified dead, while 12 others sustained various degrees of injuries," Bauchi police spokesman Haruna Mohammed said in a statement.

"The entire surrounding (area) has been cordoned off ... No arrest has yet been made, but an investigation has commenced."

Nearly a week after the government announced a ceasefire deal with Boko Haram, which it said would include the release of the girls kidnapped from the secondary school in Chibok in northeastern Nigeria in April, there is still no sign of them being freed.