Scores of people are feared dead in three explosions, which
rocked the mosque of one of Nigeria’s most well-known Islamic leaders, the Emir
of Kano, as worshippers gathered for weekly prayers, witnesses told AFP.
Military Joint Task Force spokesperson in the state, Captain
Ikechukwu Eze and witnesses said the bomb went off as Muslim faithful prepared
for their Friday jumaat prayers, causing serious pandemonium as people ran
helter-skelter for dear lives.
The explosion, which went off at about 2 p.m. before the
Imam of the mosque, Sani Zahradeen, began his sermon, was said to have been
followed by sporadic gunshots.
The number of casualties is not yet known.
“Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of
the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started,” Aminu Abdullahi said,
adding that a third went off nearby.
According to AFP, the Emir, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was said
to be inside the mosque at the time, with the explosions happening in an
outdoor courtyard, and there was no immediate word on casualties.
