Updated
A suicide bomb blast Tuesday, killed more than 25 civil servants in Zaria, Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria.
It occured at Sabon-Gari Local Government Secretariat, Zaria.
Most of the victims were civil servants from Lere, Kubau and Ikara Local Government Areas who queued up for the ongoing biometric verification exercise of civil servants, as ordered by the State Government.
This has coincided with presence of residents who were at the local government secretariat to welcome the new chairman of the interim management committee of the local government to his office at the secretariat [the Chairman was sworn-in to office Monday by the Governor].
Eye witnesses say the blast which occurred around 9am local time, may have been detonated by a suspected female suicide bomber in hijab, who infiltrated the queue.
A journalist, Shehu Tsoho, who visited the scene immediately the blast occured said he personally counted more than 30 death bodies.
“When the police were briefing the Governor and Commissioner of Police, they said twenty something people died, but I can assure you, I counted more than 30 death bodies.
“This is in exclusion of the ones that moved before I arrived the scene.
“I have seen more than 5 vehicles with death bodies moved from here to Shika [Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital].” He said
Speaking at the scene of the blast, Governor Nasir El-Rufai sympathised with the direct victims and the residents of Zaria.
He condemned the attack as an inhuman act of terror, and he urged the people of Kaduna State as a whole to be vigilant, even as they preserve the peace.
The governor said residents of the state should promptly “report all suspicious persons and activities to the security agencies and community leaders.”
The governor further announced the deployment of extra security forces across the state.
El-Rufai urged the people of the state to “shun large gatherings but, where that is impossible, to exercise; practise maximum vigilance and vigorous checks on persons, vehicles and luggage.”
