Suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber kills at least 10 in blast at market in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Security forces stand guard at the site of bomb explosion at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Saturday, March 7, 2015 .Two blasts killed more than 10 people on Saturday in a busy marketplace in Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeastern Nigeria, say witnesses. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola) (The Associated Press)

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People gather at the site of a bomb explosion at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Saturday, March 7, 2015 .Two blasts killed more than 10 people on Saturday in a busy marketplace in Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeastern Nigeria, say witnesses. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola) (The Associated Press)

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – Witnesses and a security officer say a suicide bomber exploded a tricycle taxi outside a busy market in Maiduguri and killed at least 10 people.

Fish seller Idi Idrisa says many bodies are lying around and many people were badly wounded in the Saturday blast.

A security officer says he counted 10 corpses but the toll is mounting. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to reporters.

The attack which bears all the hallmarks of the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group. It has increased suicide bombings and village attacks recently as forces from Nigeria and Chad have driven the insurgents from a score of towns along Nigeria's border with Cameroon.

About 12,000 people have died in the nearly 6-year-old Islamic uprising in northeastern Nigeria.