Blast in northern Nigeria wounds nine

KANO, Nigeria (AFP) - An explosion near a cluster of bars in the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi, recently targeted by Boko Haram Islamists, has injured nine people, police said Monday.

The home-made explosive device planted in an unfinished building next to a group of pubs went off at around 10:00 pm on Sunday in the city's Tudunwadan Dan-Iya neighbourhood, Bauchi state police commissioner Mohammed Ladan told AFP.

"It was an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) planted in the relaxation spot that caused the explosion which injured nine people but there were no deaths," Ladan said.

"We still don't know who was behind the attack but we have commenced investigation into the incident."

Among those injured were seven men, a woman and a three-month old girl, he specified.

No group claimed the attack, but the city has been previously targeted by Boko Haram, responsible for more than 1,000 deaths since mid-2009.

The Islamists claimed a suicide blast at a church in Bauchi city on June 3 that killed at least 15 people.

The United States last week said it had designated the head of the main branch of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, a "global terrorist" along with two others tied to both Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda's north African branch.