A bomb strapped to a girl around 10 years old exploded in a busy market in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Saturday, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 20, security sources said.

"The explosive devices were wrapped around her body, and the girl looked no more than 10 years old," a police source said.

Maiduguri, the capital of northern Borno state, lies in the heartland of an insurgency by Islamist militant group Boko Haram and is often hit by bomb attacks.