A bomb blast at a bus station in a
north Nigeria area previously targeted by Boko Haram killed five people, police
said Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest crack in the government’s
purported ceasefire with the Islamists.
Police in Bauchi state confirmed
overnight witness reports of a huge explosion at the terminal in the town of
Azare at 9:45 pm (2045 GMT).
Area resident Musa Babale said the
blast “shook buildings” and sent locals rushing for shelter.
“The whole place was a mess,” he
told AFP after visiting the site late Wednesday.
Bauchi police spokesman Mohammed
Haruna said the bomb killed five people, leaving them “burnt beyond
recognition,” and that 12 others were injured.
Several witnesses said they believed
the bomb had been embedded in a parked car and was detonated remotely, but
police did not give details on the nature of the explosive device.
While there was no immediate claim
of responsibility, Bauchi has been one of the hardest hit areas in Boko Haram’s
five-year uprising against the Nigerian state.
Bus station bombings have also
become something of a hallmark for the insurgent group after twin attacks at a
terminal on the outskirts of the capital Abuja earlier this year killed nearly
100 people.
The station in Azare, a town roughly
200 kilometres (125 miles) from the state capital Bauchi city, is a widely used
transit point by travellers coming from Nigeria’s embattled northeast, which
has been under a state of emergency since May of last year.
Follow Me On Twitter & Instagram: @effiongeton
No comments:
Post a Comment