19 Dead As Car Bomb Rocks Nigerian Capital
There was heavy traffic on the road at the time of the blast, with many commuters waiting for buses
A car bomb attack has killed at least 19 people and injured 60 more in the Nigerian capital Abuja, officials say.
The explosion happened in the suburb of Nyanya, close to a motor park where at least 70 people died in a bomb blast on 14 April.
Witnesses said the explosion targeted a police checkpoint near a bus station.
No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram said it was behind the fatal explosion last month.
The head of Nigeria’s Emergency Management Agency, Abbas Idriss, says that 19 people were killed in the blast and 60 others were injured.
Most of Boko Haram’s attacks have been in the north-east of Nigeria.
But the bombing on 14 April raised fears that the militants could be trying to expand their area of operation.
In a video message after that attack, the group’s leader Abubakar Shekau said: “We are in your city but you don’t know where we are.”
The latest attack comes just days before Abuja is set to host the World Economic Forum on Africa after becoming the continent’s biggest economy last month.
Insecurity will be a major concern with several world leaders, including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, due to attend the event.
BBC
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