KANO, Nigeria: A suicide bomber on Friday blew himself up among crowds at a Shiite procession outside the north Nigerian city of Kano, in the latest violence to hit the troubled region.

The attack happened in the village of Dakasoye, some 20 kilometers south of the city, during a march by followers of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.

The group, led by Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, said on its website the blast happened at 2:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) and that “scores” had been killed.

But there was no official indication of casualties and one of the organizers told AFP: “It’s a huge crowd so it’s too early to give a precise figure of casualties.

The organizer, who asked to remain anonymous, said the bomber ran into the crowd before he could be spotted and detonated his explosives.

“He was dressed in black like everyone else. His accomplice was initially arrested and confessed they were sent by Boko Haram,” he added.

“They were part of the young men abducted by Boko Haram in (the Borno state town of) Mubi last year and taken to Sambisa Forest where they were given some military training.

Boko Haram has previously been blamed for attacks on Shiites in the region.

Last November at least 15 people were killed and some 50 others injured in a suicide bombing targeting Shiites in the city of Potiskum, in Yobe state.

In April, a suicide bomber targeted a group of Shiites outside an open-air mosque, also in Potiskum. He killed himself and wounded three worshippers.

Friday’s attack came after a female bomber killed eight in the northeastern city of Maiduguri last Sunday and four teenage girls blew themselves up in northern Cameroon on Saturday killing five.

Boko Haram has increasingly used suicide bombers against “soft” civilian targets since the start of a military offensive earlier this year.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has given his military commanders until next month to end the conflict but there are fears suicide and bomb attacks may persist.

Senior military, security and intelligence figures on Thursday questioned the deadline and said it was “unrealistic” because of the wave of bombings in the region.