A SUICIDE bomber who tried to drive an explosives-packed car into a
church in northern Nigeria yesterday killed at least 15 people,
including himself, and injured 40, officials said.
Speeding up
his vehicle, the attacker approached a checkpoint near the church in
Bauchi State, which has previously been hit by Islamist group Boko Haram
and where tension between Muslims and Christians has led to violence in
the past.
"We have a checkpoint not far from the church which
prevented the bomber from gaining access to his target," said state
police commissioner Mohammed Ladan.
"So he rammed the car into a security gate and the car exploded," Ladan added.
Bauchi's
State Emergency Management Agency said in a statement that it found 15
dead bodies at the blast site and took 40 injured people to a nearby
hospital.
Witnesses said the force of the blast near the
Harvest Field of Christ church on the outskirts of Bauchi city caused
the building to collapse on the worshippers inside.
Residents said that when the building collapsed, some fled outside seeking refuge, but ran into a raging fire.
"There
was confusion as residents and churchgoers tried to flee. Some of them
out of fright fell into the fire caused by the explosion," said resident
Timothy Joshua.
Another witness, who requested anonymity, said
the bomber had an accomplice who tried to escape the scene after the
blast went off but killed by enraged residents. Police could not confirm
this account.
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