Residents say an explosion kills many at a crowded market in Biu town in northeast Nigeria

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – An explosion rocked a crowded market in Biu town in northeast Nigeria on Thursday, killing and injuring many, witnesses said.

This is the first bombing in the area, which comes ahead of a visit by the former governor to the town which is 185 kilometres south of Maiduguri, said a witness who is a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force. The group was formed by residents to combat Nigerian militant group Boko Haram.

Boko Haram was suspected in the attack, said the JTF member who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press.

He said they are evacuating the dead and the injured. “We are still on it and the figure is very high,” he said, adding “they are many”

“For now we are trying to get volunteers to go donate blood to seriously injured victims who have lost a lot of blood. The hospital has run out of blood in its reserve, we are told,” he said.

Boko Haram has fought a 5-year insurgency against the Nigerian government, launching scores of attacks that left 10,000 people dead last year alone. In recent weeks, the terror group has intensified its assaults on neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.