[ 2012-04-08 ]

Nigeria bombing near church 'kills 20'
KANO, Nigeria (AFP) - A large bomb exploded near a
church in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna as
Easter Sunday services were being held, killing at
least 20 people, a rescue official said on
condition of anonymity.

"Now we have 20 dead from the twin explosions,"
said the official who was not authorised to speak
publicly.

Residents suggested the explosion was caused by a
car bomb parked outside the church, in a stark
reminder of Christmas Day attacks in Nigeria that
left dozens dead.

A spokesman for the national emergency management
agency said most of the victims appeared to be
motorcyle taxi drivers who were in the area at the
time.

Police confirmed the explosion was a bomb, but did
not comment further.

"We have a bomb explosion. We are trying to sort
things out," police spokesman Aminu Lawal told
AFP.

Residents reported seeing dead and injured being
taken away.

Another resident said that "from my balcony, I
could see policemen loading the dead and the
injured into waiting vans."

One resident said the explosion was strong enough
to shake his house and cause his ceiling to cave
in. He ran to the site, which had already been
cordoned off, but he said he could see damage to
the Assemblies of God Church and cars.

Islamist group Boko Haram carried out a series of
attacks on churches and other locations on
Christmas Day. The worst of those attacks occurred
at a church outside the capital Abuja, where 44
people died.

Authorities as well as foreign embassies had
warned of the possibility of an attack on Easter
Sunday.

The Islamist group's increasingly bloody
insurgency has left more than 1,000 people dead
since mid-2009. Police and soldiers have often
been the victims of such attacks, though
Christians have occasionally been targeted as
well.

The group also claimed responsibility for the
August suicide bombing of UN headquarters in Abuja
which killed 25 people.

Its deadliest attack yet occurred in the northern
city of Kano on January 20, when coordinated
bombings and shootings left at least 185 people
dead.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and largest
oil producer, is roughly divided between a mainly
Muslim north and predominately Christian south.

Kaduna is a major cultural and economic centre in
Nigeria's north.

Source - AFP

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