Abuja: At least 50 people were killed when
explosives concealed in two cars went off near a church during
Easter Sunday services in the northern Nigerian city of
Kaduna, eye-witnesses said.
Shehu Sani, the President of Civil Rights Congress based
in Kaduna, said two explosions took place at the Assemblies of
God's Church near the centre of the city with a large
Christian population and known as a major cultural and
economic centre in Nigeria's north.
"There were two explosions and the casualty figure may go
up because some injuries were really critical," he said on
phone.
Another resident of the city, Miss Blessing Audu said
that the explosion has caused panic among Christians
celebrating Easter.
She said some parts of the church were damaged even as
the vibration caused by the explosives were heard in several
parts of the city.
An emergency worker on condition of anonymity explained
that the bombs were planted in two cars near the church.
At least 50 people were killed amid fears that the
casualties may rise from the blasts.
He said his agency has been able to recover 20 bodies
from the site.
Police spokesman Aminu Lawal confirmed the incident but sought more time before making a formal statement.
Ahead of Easter celebrations, the US and the UK had
warned of possible bomb attacks, advising its citizens against
travelling to certain parts of the country.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings,
but the BBC reported that Boko Haram recently said it would
carry out attacks in the area over the Easter holiday.
The radical group has carried out a series of attacks on
churches and other locations on Christmas Day, including
outside the church in capital Abuja, where 44 people died.
It is waging a bloody war against the government to seek
the enforcement of strict Shariah law and the release of all
its detained members.
The group has bombed churches and attacked mosques in the
150-million nation that has both Muslim and Christian
population, with Muslims predominant in the north while
Christians mostly living in the South.
Coordinated multiple bombings and gun attacks in the
northern city of Kano by Boko Haram cadres killed 185 people,
including an Indian from Gujarat on January 20. A suicide bomb
attack by the group at the United Nations headquarters in
Abuja in July last year killed 26 persons.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, April 08, 2012, 15:38