Suicide attacks on Nigerian bus stations kill at least 25

POTISKUM, Nigeria, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Two suicide bombings at bus stations in northern Nigeria on Tuesday killed at least 25 people.

A bus employee at a station in Potiskum told BBC News that a bomber waited until the bus was full before getting aboard. The bus was completely destroyed.

Initial eye-witness reports indicated the bomber was a woman, but police have since revealed it was a man who caused the explosion.

Hospital officials put the death toll in Potiskum at 17, according to the BBC, though Turkish news Andalou Agency reports 13 people were killed and 31 were injured.

In Kano, two women posing as passengers reportedly boarded a bus and detonated bombs. Twelve people, including the women, were killed and five were injured.

"A whole busload just went up in flames; everywhere is in disarray," Rabiu Madallah, an eyewitness, told the Anadolu Agency.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Boko Haram has escalated its attacks ahead of the Nigerian elections. It has conducted multiple attacks since the start of the year, including an attempted siege on the city of Maiduguri.

Boko Haram was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 2013.

The militant Islamic group seeks to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria and has ruthlessly targeted civilians. A state of emergency has been declared since May 2013 in the northeastern areas of Nigeria where Boko Haram operates.

Recently, a suicide bomber described by witnesses as a young female detonated at a market checkpoint, also in Potiskum, killing herself and five other people.

The Nigerian government recently delayed elections originally set for Feb. 14 to March 28 due to the threat posed by Boko Haram.