Suspected suicide attack kills 25 in Nigeria

Kano

At least 25 people were killed when a bomb blast ripped through a packed government office in Zaria, northern Nigeria, today, in a suspected suicide attack likely to be blamed on Boko Haram.

The explosion occurred at about 9:00 am (0800 GMT), as primary school teachers and public sector workers were queueing for identity checks, according to witnesses.

"I am sad to confirm that an IED (improvised explosive device) most likely carried by a suicide bomber exploded in the Sabon Gari LG (local government district) and killed 25 people, including a two-year-old," Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai said.

El-Rufai added in the statement posted on his Facebook account that 32 others were injured and were being treated in hospital.

Zaria, a mainly Muslim city some 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of the state capital Kaduna city, is near the border with Katsina and Kano states.

On Monday night, a young girl believed to be aged just 13 was killed when explosives strapped to her body detonated near a major mosque in Kano city.

That bombing followed a twin attack on a mosque and restaurant in the central city of Jos on Sunday, which left 44 people dead, and a suicide bomb attack on a church in Potiskum that killed five.