A resident of Sabon Gari in Kano, where a suicide car bomber killed no fewer than four persons Sunday night said he had lost two daughters in the explosion, with his wife also seriously injured.

Steven Nwogor spoke with reporters in Kano as the state police commissioner, Adelere Shiniba admitted that four persons — three men and a 12-year-old girl — were killed in the Sunday blast.

“I have lost two of my seven children for no reason and my wife is in hospital and I’m not sure if she will make it,” said the 43-year-old trader, fighting back tears. My life has been shattered and I don’t know what to do,”Nwogor said.

The two children, the eldest of whom wanted to become a doctor, had been helping their mother at her roadside fish stall when the blast happened, he added.

The scene of the blast on Middle Road was cordoned off behind yellow tape, with dozens of armed police and soldiers on guard and allowing only local residents back home.

Forensics specialists were seen working at the scene, gathering together the fragments of the Volkswagen Golf car thought to have been used in the attack, an AFP reporter said.

Detectives were combing the scorched and blood-stained ground, which was littered with broken plastic chairs and tables from the many roadside bars and restaurants in the popular area.

Flies buzzed around broken beer bottles and spilt alcohol, as residents discussed the explosion in groups.

“This is an attack on all of us. We are in mourning and it will be callous for us to abandon our neighbours in this moment of grief,” vehicle parts dealer Obinna Amobi.

Last July, a series of explosions rocked Sabon Gari, killing 12 with outdoor bars the apparent target. The military at the time blamed Boko Haram.