Bomb rips through church near Abuja, at least 12 confirmed dead

The explosion which left a crater in the middle of the road and destroyed the church and shops on the opposite side of the road was reported to have happened around 8:30am, just after the first service of the day ended. The explosives had been placed in a car on the road in front of […]

The explosion which left a crater in the middle of the road and destroyed the church and shops on the opposite side of the road was reported to have happened around 8:30am, just after the first service of the day ended.

The explosives had been placed in a car on the road in front of the church.

At least 12 people have been confirmed dead. Niger state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Maishanu says 3 policemen and 9 others died in the blast. However, eyewitnesses say the fatality figures are much higher.

The National Emergency management Agency has also said that 12 people have been certified dead from the hospital authorities but say the figures are likely going to increase significantly as rescue efforts continue and more victims are evacuated.

NEMA’s spokesman, Yushau Shuaibu also confirmed that the dead have been taken to the State House Clinic, Asokoro, while the wounded are being taken to University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada and The National Hospital, Abuja.

He also says the National Hospital are complaining of shortage in blood supplies for the treatment of the wounded who are being brought in in droves.

Eyewitnesses say at at least two pregnant women as well as a family of 6 were among the fatalities from the explosion.

Daily Trust’s Adebayo Ademola reports that 8 casualties with varying degrees of injuries have been brought in to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

Among these casualties are four women and two teenagers who are all unconscious and two men who are in critical condition but conscious. All wounded at Gwagwalada are currently receiving medical attention.

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Security has been beefed up around Abuja and uniformed and non-uniformed policemen have been deployed around some places of worship.

Youths from the area immediately took to the streets protesting the bombing. They set up bonfires, attacked vehicles plying the road and chased away the policemen manning two checkpoints – one a few metres before the church and the other, a few metres after the church. They blamed the policemen for allowing the bombers through to carry out the attack. Journalists were not spared from the anger of the mob and photographers Adeniyi Tunde of Business Day and Femi Ipaye of The News Magazine sustained injuries at their hands.

It took the intervention of men of the Nigeria Army to disperse them.