A bomb blast in Nigeria’s northern university town of Zaria killed 25 people Tuesday including a 2-year-old toddler, the Kaduna state governor reported, the latest in a string of deadly bombing and shooting attacks by the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group. Gov. Nasir el-Rufai urged citizens to avoid crowded public places including mosques and churches as the militants widen and accelerate the pace of attacks that have killed some 300 people in a week.

Boko Haram may be responding to an Islamic State group order to commit more mayhem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.