At least 12 people have been killed in a bomb attack by suspected militants of Boko Haram Takfiri group at a mobile phone market in restive northeast Nigeria.

The incident occurred on Sunday, when a female bomber blew up his explosives at the market in the town of Azare in Bauchi state, reportedly wounding some 65 people.

The bomber, along with two men, entered the market at around 5:50 pm local time (1650 GMT), residents said, adding that one of the men was killed by an angry mob after the blast.

"I was near the market when I heard a loud sound inside. After a while we rushed to the scene of the blast. I saw lots of people in the ground and blood all over the place," said a local resident.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Nigerian officials often blame such assaults on Boko Haram militants, which have been fighting government forces and committing crimes against civilians in the last five years.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its operations in 2009, which have left more than 10,000 people dead so far.

On April 14, the terror group kidnapped 276 students from their secondary school in the northeastern town of Chibok. Reports say 57 of the girls managed to escape but 219 are still missing.

The Nigerian government announced on October 17 that it had secured a deal with Boko Haram for a truce and the release of the girls. Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, however, rejected the announcement as “a lie.”

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.