2 die as bomb explosion, gun fire rock Zaria

An explosion and gunfire shook an area around an Islamic school in Zaria, Kaduna state Sunday, leaving two suspected attackers dead and others wounded, emergency officials said.

Details of the blast in the northern Nigerian city of Zaria were sketchy, with initial reports saying that the blast occurred inside the school but a government spokesman later saying that it went off near it.

“It’s close to a boarding school called Albani,” National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib said.

“Two suspects were killed. The innocent victims that were injured were taken to hospital.”

Two of the presumed attackers were killed when they exchanged gunfire with security forces after the explosion, he said.

Another relief official said there had also been an exchange of fire between security forces and gunmen Saturday night.

The Boko Haram sect has not claimed responsibility for this attack that backfired badly.

Shuaib said it appeared the school was the target based on initial information that the attackers had sent a warning asking students to evacuate. He was not immediately able to provide further details.

Attackers and security forces appeared to exchange gunfire after the explosion, leaving the two suspects dead, he said.

Another relief official said there had also been an exchange of fire between security forces and gunmen Saturday night. He said Sunday morning’s explosion was the result of an improvised explosive device.

Nigeria’s north has been hit by scores of bombings and shootings blamed on Boko Haram, whose insurgency is blamed for more than 1,400 deaths since 2010. A string of attacks have also hit the country’s centre.

In June, two churches were attacked in Zaria and one in the city of Kaduna, both cities located in Kaduna state.

The church attacks left at least 16 people dead and sparked reprisals by Christian mobs who burned mosques and targeted Muslims, killing dozens. Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Boko Haram has claimed to be fighting for the creation of an Islamic state in Nigeria’s north, though its demands have repeatedly shifted.

It is believed to have a number of factions with varying aims, in addition to imitators and criminal groups who carry out violence under the guise of the group.

Credit: PMNews