Nigeria Bomb Kills at Least 5

Death toll expected to climb in Easter violence
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 8, 2012 7:23 AM CDT
Nigeria Bomb Kills at Least 5
Smoke rises from an explosion in Kaduna on December 7, 2011 after a powerful explosion rocked the city. A car bombing today killed at least five.   (Getty Images)

A car bomb killed at least five people today in a central Nigerian city that has seen hundreds die in religious and ethnic violence in recent years, amid warnings by diplomats of possible terrorist attacks during the Easter holiday, officials said. The blast struck Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna state, leaving charred motorcycles and debris strewn across a major road where many gather to eat at informal restaurants. The explosion injured many others, some critically, meaning the toll of the attack could rise as the day goes on, said an emergency spokesman. "There were many motorcycles that were damaged, more than 20," he said. "What happened to the owners?"

Police and soldiers surrounded the site as fearful residents fled. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though suspicion immediately fell on Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege." More than 380 people have been killed in violence blamed on the sect this year alone. The blast also comes as the United Kingdom and the United States had warned its citizens living in the oil-rich nation that violence was likely over the Easter holiday. (More Nigeria stories.)

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