Boko Haram is suspected in an attack on a village market, like the one pictured, in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno on January 26, 2014 that killed forty-five and injured twenty-six people. ( CC/2Bdea

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Islamist militant group Boko Haram is suspected of launching a Sunday evening attack that killed forty-five people and wounded twenty-six in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno.

Borno State Police Commissioner Lawan Tanko said that the attackers arrived in the village of Kawuri, riding on pick-up trucks and motorcycles, opened fire at the market, and burned homes. A witness believes explosives may also have been used in the attack. A police bomb squad was being used to search for unexploded ordinances.


Tanko told The New York Times "It is amongst the worst attacks we've had... What is the motive, and how did they enter the village? We are still taking stock of the actual number of people killed."

A state of emergency was declared in May 2013 for Nigeria's northeastern states due to violence.

[CNN] [New York Times]