Blast hits mosque in Nigeria during prayers (VIDEO)

A blast hit a mosque during evening prayers on Wednesday in Maiduguri, north-eastern Nigeria, RT sources have said.

At least seven worshipers have been killed in the explosion, several local sources told AFP. The exact number of those injured is yet unknown, but witnesses told the agency that several victims had been taken to the hospital.

The city has been at the heart of an Islamist insurgency waged by Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) for nearly two decades.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack, however, militants have a history of targeting mosques and crowded areas in Maiduguri through suicide bombings and improvised explosive device attacks.

The country has been hit by several major kidnappings since November. In one incident, gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, abducting more than 300 students and 12 teachers. The Christian Association of Nigeria announced later that month that 50 pupils had escaped. The authorities secured the release of 100 others on December 8, and announced the release of the final group last Sunday.

On December 21, gunmen ambushed a late-night bus, kidnapping 28 Muslim travelers, including women and children, in Plateau state, according to local officials.