Suicide bomber kills 7 in northern Nigeria

Suicide bomber kills 7 in northern Nigeria Abuja: A suicide bomber blew up his car outside police headquarters in the restive Nigerian northern state of Maiduguri on Friday, killing seven persons, including a policeman, and wounding 20 others, the Nigerian Red Cross said.

The police commissioner for the state Bala Hassan kept the the number of dead at three, but it is not unusual for officials in the country to give lower figures in such situations.

A resident of the city claimed to have seen five police vehicles driven away with bodies of those killed in the bombing which is the second within the metropolis on the same day.

The first, which happened much earlier, exploded prematurely killing the bomber only. The suicide attack bears the signature of an Islamic sect, Boko Haram which has been waging a bloody war against Nigeria's government.

The sect wants to turn the country to an Islamic state with Sharia rule. Its suicide bombing and shooting campaign this year alone has led to the deaths of hundreds of people.