Girl suicide bomber thought to be as young as SEVEN blows herself up and kills five in attack on Nigerian market

[Raya @ REAL CONSERVATIVES]

Girl suicide bomber thought to be as young as SEVEN blows herself up and kills five in attack on Nigerian market 

• Suicide bomber blew herself up at a Nigerian market killing five people 
• Witnesses say the female bomber was a girl who looked as young as seven
• She refused to be searched at a checkpoint and then blew herself up 
• Another 19 people were injured in the attack on a mobile phone market 
• Comes after a similar suicide attack on the market in Potiskum last month
• Then two bombers, one appearing to be around 15, killed 6 and injured 37  

By JENNIFER NEWTON FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:21 EST, 22 February 2015 | UPDATED: 12:42 EST, 22 

A female suicide bomber thought to be as young as seven has blown herself up killing five people at a market in north eastern Nigeria.

The young girl, who had explosives strapped to her, detonated the bomb at a security checkpoint in the town of Potiskum.

Witnesses say she refused to be searched at the gate to the market and after an ensuing argument, she let off the bomb, killing five others and injuring 19 people.

A girl thought to be as young as seven has blown herself up killing five people at a market in Potiskum, Nigeria. Another young female suicide bomber targeted the market last month, pictured

They added she appeared to be as young as seven years old and is the latest in a string of child suicide bombers in Nigeria.

Local vigilante leader Buba Lawan said: 'We sent her back four times, because given her age, she did not have anything to do in the market.

'When we were screening people, she bent and tried to pass under the ropes, some distance from our view. That was when the explosives went off.'

It is the second such suicide attack around the same market, where new and second-hand mobile phones are sold and repaired

The first attack happened on January 11, when two suicide bombers, one of them appearing to be around 15-years-old, blew themselves up outside the market, killing six and injuring 37.

Nobody has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing, which bore the hallmarks of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has been terrorising Nigeria.

The insurgents have suffered a string of defeats in a military offensive by Nigeria and neighbours Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

The Islamist fighters appear to be on the run in many parts of Nigeria and regions near its borders, after being subjected to a major offensive on all sides, but retain the ability to mount deadly surprise attacks.

The market repairs new and second hand mobile phones. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The last attack, pictured, was carried out by Boko Haram 

The use of female suicide bombers, sometimes young girls, has been a common tactic of Boko Haram since last year, as have revenge attacks on civilians when the group is under pressure.

Nigerian forces backed by air strikes seized the north eastern border town of Baga from Boko Haram on Saturday, the military said, a significant victory and one of a string of recent successes.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who has been strongly criticised for not taking tougher action against Boko Haram, faces an election on March 28 in which security is a key issue.

Nigeria's military - west Africa's largest - has faced repeated criticism for failing to end the Islamist insurgency, as well as allegations of human rights abuses.

Soldiers have complained of a lack of adequate weapons and even refused to deploy to take on the better-armed rebels.

Nobody has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing, which bore the hallmarks of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, pictured, which has been terrorising Nigeria

The UN children's fund said harrowing reports from survivors of the attack and the use of 10-year-old girls as human bombs 'should be searing the conscience of the world'.

'Words alone can neither express our outrage nor ease the agony of all those suffering from the constant violence in northern Nigeria,' UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said in a statement.

'But these images of recent days and all they imply for the future of Nigeria should galvanise effective action. For this cannot go on.'

The violence of Boko Haram began soon after 276 schoolgirls were abducted from the Borno town of Chibok in mid-April. Nine months on, 219 are still being held.

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