Seventeen days after a bomb blast killed over 70 persons at Nyanya motor park, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, another explosion Thursday night claimed dozens of lives in act a witness said mimicked the previous attack of April 14.
The blast, which was believed to be a suicide attack, occurred around 8:30 pm when a bomb-bearing car, suspected to be a Golf car, exploded at the Karshi Taxi Park, about 100 metres from where the April 14, 2014 explosion occurred.
About 41 bodies were taken to different hospitals in the FCT.
But a statement co-signed by the Head, Public Relations, NSCDC and NEMA Press Officer, Emmanuel Ezekiel, said that 10 bodies had been deposited in the mortuary while 13 unconscious persons were receiving treatment in different hospitals.
According to the statement: “While security agencies have condoned off the area of the explosion this evening in Nyanya, Abuja, response agencies have moved injured victims to hospitals and at least 10 lifeless bodies have been deposited in the mortuary while 13 unconscious victims are receiving medical attention in different hospitals in Abuja. Other injured victims too are being attended to.
“The public are urged to cooperate with security agencies and avoid rushing to the scene to guard against hampering the efforts of the various agencies working together to ensure public safety,” the statement said.
Security sources said the perpetrators of the blast might have planned to leave the explosive-laden car at the motor park overnight so that it could be detonated on Friday (today) for maximum effect, but the bomb accidentally went off, killing the driver and other innocent people.
A spokesperson for the Nigeria Police force, Frank Mba, has said that 12 persons are confirmed dead in a new bomb blast that ripped through a taxi park in Nyanya, Abuja, about 8:50PM Nigerian time. Mr. Mba who spoke to reporters at the scene of the blast also said 19 people were injured in the attack.
The latest blast, coming 17 days after the first in which at least 70 were killed and 200 injured, will be a big blow to a planned Nigerian Economic Forum scheduled for the capital city next week. Nigeria has been assuring foreign governments that the environment is secure for the conference.
