Blasts at mosque kill at least 20 in northeast Nigeria: Police

Explosions in and around a mosque in northeast Nigeria killed at least 20 people on Tuesday, police said.

The blasts in the town of Mubi bore the hallmarks of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has waged an insurgency in Africa's most populous country since 2009 and often deploys suicide bombers in crowded places.

Adamawa State police spokesman Othman Abubakar says an explosion occurred during prayers Tuesday afternoon and many people died as they fled and were caught by a second blast.

The jihadist group on Thursday carried out an attack in Maiduguri, capital of neighbouring Borno state, that killed four people.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in the insurgency, which has also forced some two million to flee their homes.

Abdullahi Yerima, police commissioner in Adamawa state, said a suicide bomber struck at the mosque at around 01:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) and a second bomber detonated a device some 200 metres (220 yards) away as worshippers fled.

"About 20 people have died", he said, adding that more than a dozen were hurt.