Maiduguri, April 13: A roadside bomb suspected to have been planted by Islamic extremists in northeastern Nigeria struck a passenger bus, killing eight people and wounding more than a dozen others, authorities said. The bus was travelling along the Damboa-Maiduguri highway in the conflict-battered Borno state on Saturday when it drove over the explosive device, Borno state police spokesman Nahum Daso said in a statement. Nigeria Tanker Blast: 18 People Killed, 10 Injured As Tanker Carrying Gasoline Loses Control, Collides With 17 Vehicles and Burst Into Flames in Enugu.

Islamic extremists with the Boko Haram group took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict, Africa's longest struggle with militancy, has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbours and has left some 35,000 civilians dead and more than 2 million displaced, according to the UN. Nigeria Bomb Blasts: At Least 18 People Killed, 48 Others Injured in Series of Bomb Explosions in Borno.

The insurgents who once controlled dozens of villages in the region have mostly been pushed to remote forests and the fringes of the Lake Chad. However, they still carry out ambushes and rampant attacks on communities where security forces are outnumbered and outgunned. The latest attack renewed fears among residents and travellers in the state.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)