Badigma Bukar, 45, whose armed was injured in Saturday's attack, told The Associated Press by telephone that he saw eight dead bodies after the explosion near the palace of an important traditional ruler in Maiduguri.

A worker at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital said two dead bodies were taken to the hospital morgue.

Lt. Col. Hassan Mohammed, a spokesman for security forces specially deployed to rein in a feared group in the area, refused to confirm on Sunday that there were deaths.

The group known as Boko Haram is responsible for a rash of killings and bombings over the past year which have targeted members of Nigeria's security force, as well as traditional and religious authorities.