Kano , Nigeria ( CNN ) -- At least 47 people were killed and 79 were wounded Monday by a suicide bombing outside a school in northern Nigeria , police said . The attacker was disguised as a student when he set off the explosion in a government boarding school in the town of Potiskum , police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said . `` We suspect Boko Haram is behind the attack , '' Ojukwu said . The explosion took place at 7:50 a.m. local time outside the principal 's office , where students had gathered for a daily speech . `` We were waiting for our teachers to come and address us at the assembly ground when we heard a huge explosion , '' student Adamu Ibrahim said . It was not immediately clear how many of the casualties were students . Although no oneâ€Ž has claimed responsibility for the attack , Boko Haram is the prime suspect . The radical Islamic militant group has carried out deadly attacks on schools teaching Western curriculum . In February , Boko Haram gunmen killed at least 40 students when they opened fire and threw explosives in student hostels in a government boarding school in the town of Buni Yadi , in Yobe state . And last year , 42 students were killed when Boko Haram gunmen attacked dormitories with guns and explosives in a government boarding school near Potiskum . Bring Back Our Girls : Meet the man who never gave up hope . Potiskum , the commercial hub of Yobe state , has been repeatedly targeted by deadly attacks blamed on Boko Haram . Just last week , a suicide bomber blew himself up in Potiskum amid a large crowd of Shiite Muslims holding the annual Ashura ceremony to commemorate the murder of Imam Husseyn , the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed . That blast killed 15 people . No one claimed responsibility for the attack , but Boko Haram was suspected . The group 's five-year insurgency is aimed at establishing an Islamic stateâ€Ž .
The blast took place near where students gathered ; police say 79 people were wounded . Comment: Police suspect Boko Haram , which has targeted schools teaching Western ideas . The group 's five-year insurgency is aimed at establishing an Islamic stateâ€Ž .