At least 50 killed in five bombings on markets, bus station in northeastern Nigeria

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, March 7 (UPI) -- At least 50 people are dead after five different explosions detonated in crowded markets and a bus station in Maiduguri, Nigeria, on Saturday.

Militant group Boko Haram, which has been blamed for previous suicide bombings as it wages war seeking an Islamic state in Nigeria, is suspected of the attacks but has not claimed responsibility.

Witnesses told the BBC the first explosion was detonated by a person riding a pedicab in a fish market. While the sex of the bomber is unclear, a trader told the BBC that two explosions in the city's Monday Market later Saturday were detonated by female bombers. Two more blasts were also reported at Borno Express bus station.

The mixture of body parts at the blast sites makes an accurate body count difficult, but an official told the BBC that 50 people were killed and 56 wounded, while Al Jazeera reports 51 dead and 100 wounded.

On March 1 a mob in the northeastern city of Bauchi beat and burned a teenage girl to death after suspecting her of being a suicide bomber, police and witnesses say. This followed a frequent series of attacks over the months, many which witnesses say were perpetrated by female suicide bombers, including in January in a live chicken market in Maiduguri, when at least 19 people were killed.

In the face of increased attacks by Boko Haram, Nigeria was forced to delay national elections scheduled for Feb. 14. The new date is March 28.

Boko Haram gained international infamy when it kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok in April 2014. Experts have speculated the group might be using abducted children to conduct the recent series of suicide bombings.