Deadly bombing hits busy Nigeria market

At least 31 people have been killed in an explosion at a busy market in the northeastern Nigerian city of Yola, an emergency official has said.

The blast happened at about 7:40PM on Thursday at the Jimeta Main Market in the Adamawa state capital, just as traders were finishing business for the evening.

“So far, we’ve 31 dead victims and 38 people in hospital receiving treatment” as a result of the blast, said Sa’ad Bello, Yola’s National Emergency Management Agency coordinator.

“Some whose injuries weren’t severe were discharged,” he told the AFP news agency.

In recent years, Yola has come to be seen as a relative safe haven for hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee their homes because of ongoing violence in the country.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but fingers will likely be pointed at Boko Haram, which has carried out several attacks in the north of the state in recent weeks. – AFP