A teenage girl blew herself up in a crowded northeast Nigeria bus station on Sunday in a suicide bombing that killed 16 people and injured more than 30 others. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, it fits a pattern established by Boko Haram, who began using teenage females as suicide bombers last year, possibly because they can hide explosives under their garments and evade security.

The bomber, who is thought to have been about 16 years old, got through the security checkpoint at the entrance to the Damaturu bus station. She set off her explosive at about 1 p.m. local time just outside a grocery store at the end of the terminal. Most of the suicide bomber’s victims were children who had been begging for money in the bus station, or selling peanuts. Jibrin Habibu, a cab driver who witnessed the explosion, said that the bomber appeared nervous as she entered the station. She detonated her device before security could be alerted.

Adamu Muhammad, another witness, said the bus station “descended into panic.” A shop owner said that emergency workers were unable to retrieve the remains of the bomber, because an angry mob set the remains on fire.

This is the first suicide bombing in Damaturu, which is the capital of Yobe state, although Nigeria’s homegrown extremist group Boko Haram has staged several attacks on on the city. The terrorist group is responsible for over 100,000 deaths and many abductions, including the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls who are still missing since last April.

Boko Haram is fighting for Islamic rule in Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan is accused by some of not doing enough to contain the violence. The Nigerian electoral commission delayed voting that was scheduled for this month, when the nation’s security adviser said that safety could not be assured due to Boko Haram insurgency. On Saturday, Nigerian troops, backed by a fighter jet, drove back extremist fighters who were trying to take control of the northeast city of Gombe, an area hit the hardest by the insurgency.