Eight persons died and fifteen others have been injured in an explosion that occurred at Muna Motor park, Maiduguri.

National Emergency Management Agency which confirmed this said a rescue team from NEMA responded to the incident and evacuated the injured and the dead to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Borno State Specialist Hospital.

Its Head of Media, Sanni Dati, said the motor park, located on the outskirt of Maiduguri, was used by motorists travelling to areas, such as Dikwa and Gamboru Ngala in Borno, saying security had been beefed up at the scene of explosion.

The police had earlier confirmed five persons dead after a suspected female suicide bomber detonated explosives near the garage.

Spokesman for the Police Command in Borno, Victor Isuku, said about 8.30a.m. an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion occurred in a Golf 1 car, saying the vehicle, No JERE 349 XA, body S/No RTEAN 7179 taxi colour was carrying five people – four females and a male driver.

Isuku said the explosion occurred around Muna garage along Maiduguri /Gamboru Ngala road when the taxi was attempting to join vehicles heading to Gamboru town, saying the four female passengers and the driver died but added that the bomber was suspected to have boarded the vehicle on the road.

He said the suicide bomber who was reasonably believed to be one of the female casualties, was picked along the road, however, said the explosion did not affect other vehicles.