Explosion at market in northeastern Nigeria kills 46 people

SABON GARI, Nigeria, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- An explosion in a market in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state has killed at least 46 people, according to reports.

The blast, which injured more than 50 people, occurred in the village of Sabon Gari on Tuesday afternoon, the BBC reports.

The incident joins a trend of attacks attributed to terrorist group Boko Haram, which has for six years waged a campaign of military assaults, mass executions, kidnappings and suicide bombings in a bid to establish an Islamic government in Nigeria.

The attack comes the same day Nigeria's immigration agency said it blocked the travel of up to 24,000 people, some of whom were suspected of trying to join terrorist groups abroad.

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in March, and analysts believe the alliance has prompted some Nigerians to attempt joining the group, which is based mainly in Iraq and Syria.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who took office earlier this year, vowed to crack down on Boko Haram. In June he ordered the Nigerian military's base of operations against the group to be relocated in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, where a majority of the attacks are centered.

Over the summer, however, suicide bombings have been on the rise, with many occurring in crowded markets.

Last month, a wave of suicide bombings and other attacks left more than 130 people dead across Nigeria and Cameroon within a week's time.

More than 800 Nigerians have been killed in Boko Haram attacks since Buhari took office in May.

The African Union in January endorsed a joint multinational force to combat Boko Haram, but the 8,700-strong contingent, which comprises troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Chad and Niger, was delayed for months.

Earlier this month, the Nigerian military announced it freed 178 captives of Boko Haram near the town of Bama, and on August 2 it claimed to have used close air support to repel an assault by the militants, but last week suspected members of the group killed at least 15 people during assaults on villages in northern Cameroon and Nigeria.

According to Amnesty International, at least 17,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks. .