Bomb blast in Nigeria capital kills 21, wounds 17

June 26, 2014 03:57

A bomb exploded in a crowded shopping centre in Nigeria's capital Abuja today, killing at least 21 people in a city already gripped by fear after a series of deadly attacks by Boko Haram Islamists, police and the government said.

The blast shook the Emab Plaza, not far from the country's parliament, at 1930 IST, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said, as shoppers were buying groceries ahead of the country's World Cup match against Argentina, which kicked-off an hour later.

"The casualty figure for now is 21 persons dead, 17 injured," national police spokesman Frank Mba said, adding that an arrest had been made.

Senior government spokesman Mike Omeri confirmed that the blast was the result of "a bomb attack".

Rescue teams were deployed to the scene and evacuated the victims from the area, NEMA spokesman Manzo Ezekiel told AFP.

"The explosion struck at peak business time," he said, adding that the area was busy at the time of the blast and that 40 cars had been destroyed.

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