At least 26 people have lost their lives and 28 others have been injured following a bomb explosion inside a mosque in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri, the capital of the Borno state

At least 26 people have lost their lives and 28 others have been injured following a bomb explosion inside a mosque in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri, the capital of the Borno state.

The assailant, who pretended to be a worshiper, detonated his explosives inside the mosque next to the Monday Market of Maiduguri when the Asr (afternoon) prayers began at about 3:30 pm local time (1430 GMT) on Saturday.

Meanwhile, some reports put the death toll at 30.

"The roof was blown off and fire destroyed the mats" of the mosque, market trader Nura Khalid told AFP.