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Abuja blast: 'Car bomb' rocks Nigerian capital | |
(35 minutes later) | |
An apparent car bomb attack has killed at least nine people in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, officials say. | An apparent car bomb attack has killed at least nine people in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, officials say. |
The explosion happened in the suburb of Nyanya, close to a motor park where at least 70 people died in a blast on 14 April. | The explosion happened in the suburb of Nyanya, close to a motor park where at least 70 people died in a blast on 14 April. |
Witnesses said it went off near a police checkpoint. | Witnesses said it went off near a police checkpoint. |
No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has previously targeted locations in Abuja. | No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has previously targeted locations in Abuja. |
Charles Osueke, who was in the area at the time of the blast, told the BBC that it was just 200m away from the 14 April explosion. | |
"People in the crowd were saying that a man parked his car, walked away and the next thing they know, the car blew up," he said. | |
The National Emergency Management Agency said nine people had died and many more were injured. | |
Campaign of violence | Campaign of violence |
Most of Boko Haram's attacks have been in the north-east of Nigeria. | Most of Boko Haram's attacks have been in the north-east of Nigeria. |
But the bombing on 14 April, which it later claimed, raised fears that the militants could be trying to expand their area of operation. | |
The BBC's Will Ross in says the latest blast comes at a terrible time for Nigeria, which is also dealing with the the abduction of 230 schoolgirls that happened hours after the previous Nyanya attack. | The BBC's Will Ross in says the latest blast comes at a terrible time for Nigeria, which is also dealing with the the abduction of 230 schoolgirls that happened hours after the previous Nyanya attack. |
Boko Haram's fighters have killed more than 1,500 civilians in three states in north-east Nigeria this year. | Boko Haram's fighters have killed more than 1,500 civilians in three states in north-east Nigeria this year. |
The group has hit Abuja several times before, including an attack on the United Nations building in 2011. | The group has hit Abuja several times before, including an attack on the United Nations building in 2011. |
But before 14 April, there had not been an attack in the capital for two years, our correspondent says. | But before 14 April, there had not been an attack in the capital for two years, our correspondent says. |
The Nigerian government had said the violence was contained in a small area of the north-east. | The Nigerian government had said the violence was contained in a small area of the north-east. |
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language, has been waging a campaign of gun and bomb attacks since 2009. | Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language, has been waging a campaign of gun and bomb attacks since 2009. |
Are you in the area? Do you have any information to share? Send us your comments. You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Abuja'. | |
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