A double bomb attack that killed 31 people in a
crowded market in the central Nigerian city of Jos
was likely to have been carried out by Boko Haram,
the state government said on Friday.
“It’s an extension of the terrorist acts that have
been penetrating all states and cities,” Pam Ayuba,
spokesman for the Plateau state governor Jonah
Jang, told AFP by telephone.
The blasts happened at about 6:00 pm (1700 GMT)
on Thursday at a makeshift market near the
Terminus bus station, not far from the site of a
previous attack in May that left at least 118 dead.
Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau later
claimed the attack.
Ayuba said the Plateau state government had
previously received intelligence about the possibility
of a new attack by the militants and ruled out any
political link to the violence.
Jos, which lies in the central “Middle Belt” where
Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north meets it mainly
Christian south, has been a flashpoint for years.
After the 2011 elections, widespread rioting left
hundreds dead.
But Ayuba said that political party primaries for next
year’s general elections had taken place in recent
days and passed off “without any rancour”.
“Everything was peaceful, so politics is overruled.
It’s a continuation of the wanton killing of the kind
conducted by the terrorists,” he added, referring to
the Islamist group.
Governor Jang has warned people in the city to be
on their guard and appealed for calm.
A senior rescue official said on condition of
anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to
the media that 14 people were being treated for
injuries at four separate hospitals in the city.
Please after reading this call your friends in Jos and make sure they are safe.LOL
Post a Comment