Confirming the incident, the Nigeria army said that the explosives were detonated among women and children arriving in Maiduguri seeking to escape Boko Haram violence in the countryside.
The state Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mohammed Kanar, said the blast happened on Sunday morning as the group arrived from Dikwa, 90 kilometres (56 miles) to the northeast.
According to Kanar, the bomber was aged about 20 and struck as the group reached a checkpoint on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
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He said, “The IDPs (interally displaced persons), mostly women and children, were stopped for security checks at the checkpoint when the bomber, disguised as an IDP, sneaked in amongst them before setting off her explosives.
“Eight people were killed and seven others were injured in the incident.”
In a related development, four teenage girls, on Saturday, blew themselves up in a village near Fotokol, in Cameroon’s far north region near the border with Nigeria, killing five, including a traditional chief.
The six-year Boko Haram insurgency has forced some 2.6 million people from their homes and left at least 17,000 dead.