Thaindian News

KADUNA, NIGERIA (BNO NEWS) — At least 38 people were killed and others were injured when a bomb blast hit north-central Nigeria on Easter Sunday, officials said on Monday.

The explosion occurred on Sunday morning at the busy streets of Junction Road and Sardauna Crescent near the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in the city of Karduna, the state capital which carries the same name as the state.

Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Abubakar Zakari Adamu told the Nation that at least 38 people were killed, while several others were rushed to local hospitals due to injuries. However, the media outlet said it accounted for over 40 casualties at different local hospitals.

Dozens of bodies were immediately seen scattered on the streets after the blast, which triggered flames and thick black smoke. The busy area usually gathers groups of residents eating at local informal restaurants and purchasing black market gasoline.

The target of the attack is uncertain, but a possibility is the nearby All Nations Christian Assembly Church, which was holding Easter services and was damaged by the blast.

According to witnesses, a motorcyclist tried to enter Gwari Road where at least two churches are located, the All Nations Christian Assembly and the ECWA Good News Church. However, a security blockade at the street junction had been set up and turned the bomber away.

The strong blast damaged some 60 buildings in the area, including several hotels in addition to the church. Several vehicles and motorcycles were also damaged. The bodies and wounded were transported to the Rakiya Memorial Hospital, the St. Gerald Hospital, the Barau Dikko Hospital and the Red Cross.

No group or organization has claimed responsibility of the attack, but authorities are suspecting the militant group Boko Haram.

The Boko Haram group has been blamed for most of the region’s terrorist attacks and seeks the imposition of an extremist stance of the Shariah law, which is a Muslim code of conduct. The group’s name, in the local language of Hausa, roughly translates as ‘Western religion is sacrilegious’ or ‘non-Islamic religion is a sin.’