At least 143 people
have been killed in multiple bomb blasts targeting security buildings in
Nigeria's second largest city Kano last night.
Initial
reports suggested seven people had been killed in the attacks but that
figure has now risen to 143 after more than 100 bodies were taken to the
morgue at Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital in the city centre.
The
attacks on police headquarters and security services head offices
prompted the government to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the city -
which has a population of more than 10 million people.
Smoke rises from the police headquarters as people run for safety in Nigeria's northern city of Kano
People watch as smoke rises from the police headquarters after it was hit by a blast in Nigeria's northern city of Kano
Horror: Red Cross officials load bodies into a truck in Nigeria's northern city of Kano
Kano, like other northern cities in Nigeria, has been plagued by an insurgency led by Islamist sect Boko Haram.
The
group has been blamed for scores of bombings and shootings, aimed
mainly at government targets, that are growing in scale and
sophistication.
Police spokesman Olusola
Amore said in a statement: 'At the moment, seven casualties have been
confirmed from different locations of the attacks.'
The
statement added that the police 'are doing their best to bring the
situation under control' and are 'appealing to members of the public to
come forward with information on the identity and location of these
hoodlums'.
An unidentified journalist lies dead after an explosion near the immigration office in Nigeria's northern city of Kano
The police said eight locations
were attacked last night - including police headquarters, three police
stations, the headquarters of the secret services and the immigration
head office.
Witnesses
said smoke billowed from the police headquarters after the blast blew
out its windows, wrecked its roof and triggered a blaze that
firefighters struggled to control.
A
bomb attack on a Catholic church just outside the capital Abuja on
Christmas Day, which Boko Haram claimed responsibility for, killed 37
people and wounded 57.
People look at the body of an unidentified
immigration officer after an explosion near the immigration office in
Nigeria's northern city of Kano
The main suspect in that attack,
Kabiru Sokoto, escaped from police custody within 24 hours of his
arrest and police have offered a 50 million naira - $309,600 - reward
for information leading to his recapture.
Police
arrested him on Tuesday but he escaped when their vehicle came under
fire while they were taking him from police headquarters to his house in
Abaji, just outside Abuja, to conduct a search there.
Last August a suicide bomber blew up the U.N. Nigeria headquarters in Abuja, killing at least 24 people.
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