Breaking: Bomb blast kills 20 in northern Nigeria

A bomb blast at a bus station in Gombe, North east Nigeria has killed no fewer than 20 people, agency reports quoting the Red Cross said today.

The blast occurred at the crowded Dukku Motor Park in Gombe, capital of Gombe State. A similar blast occurred at another bus park in the town on 31 October, killing scores of people as well.

“There was an explosion at the Dukku motor park. The Red Cross mobilised with 20 body bags and they have all been exhausted. We are still looking for more bodies among the carnage,” said Abubakar Yakubu Gome, the Red Cross secretary for Gombe state.

The bomb was planted near a bus that was parked and filling up with passengers, said Mato Yakubu of the National Orientation Agency, a government body responsible for the media.

He said the blast occurred at 10:50 am (0950 GMT) at the station on the outskirts of the town.

Gombe shares a border with Borno and Yobe state, two of the areas hit hardest during Boko Haram’s five-year uprising which has cost more than 13,000 lives.

The Islamists have claimed a number of attacks at bus stations, often targeting people who are heading to Nigeria’s mainly Christian south.