Over 20 people have been killed after a bomb blast struck the Government secretariat, in Sabon Gari, Zaria, Kaduna State.
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Police bomb squad officers were deployed to the scene to ensure there were no other explosives left nearby, he added.
The United States has strongly condemned the recent attacks in the North-east by the Islamist terror group, Boko Haram.
At least 13,000 people have died in the 6-year-old Islamic uprising that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes.
Nigeria’s new President Muhammadu Buhari described the latest wave of killings as, “Inhuman and barbaric”.
Two female suicide bombers meanwhile killed 11 people on Thursday, Borno State police commissioner Aderemi Opadokun said.
According to Abdussalam Mohammad, an official of the National Emergency Management Agency, 67 other people had also been wounded in the attacks and are been treated in the hospitals.
He said Nigerian clerics have called on Muslims to follow the nonviolent teachings of the Quran.
Umar Abubakar, who was at the Yantaya mosque for the “Tafsir” or Quran commentary session, said a number of attackers opened fire from outside at about 9:20 p.m. (2020 GMT).
“He is a great Islamic scholar who has spoken out against Boko Haram, and that is why we believe he was the target”, Sani told The Associated Press.
Sabi’u Bako bought a take-out and then heard a massive blast as he walked away with friends.
He said the Cameroonians seized a large quantity of weapons and vehicles before the attackers retreated to Nigeria.
Last week, the militants shot dead 145 people in rural communities of Borno state and carried out a twin suicide bombing near Maiduguri that killed another 14.
The villages had been attacked three days earlier and 29 people were killed.
State Department spokesman John Kirby released a statement condemning the attacks from Boko Haram in Nigeria.
A man walks by the charred remains of houses burned by extremist Boko Haram fighters.
“They may be excluded from taking active part in the post-conflict phase; women need to be included in all aspects of the post-conflict phase of the insurgency”.
Journalist Hassan John reported from Jos, and journalist Aminu Abubakr reported from Kano, Nigeria.
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The restaurant was blown up by a bomb that had been planted earlier, whereas the mosque saw gunfire preceding the attack by a suicide bomber.
