27 dead in mosque blast in Yola, northeast Nigeria

At least 27 people were killed in a bomb blast at a newly-inaugurated mosque in Yola, northeast Nigeria, on Friday, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

“So far we have 27 dead and 96 injured,” NEMA’s co-ordinator in the Adamawa state capital, Sa’ad Bello, told AFP.

The explosion happened at about 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) at the Jambutu Juma’at mosque in the Jimeta area of the city, shortly after the imam had finished his inaugural sermon.

The blast came after at least 28 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, shortly after 5:00 am on Friday.

It was not immediately clear whether the Yola attack was also a suicide bombing or caused by an explosive device hidden in the building.

One volunteer at the Jambutu Juma’at mosque, who helped in the rescue effort but asked not to be identified, said: “This mosque was nearly built and this was the first prayers in it.

“While worshippers had risen for the prayers to start after the sermon by the imam, there was a huge blast in the premises,” he said.

“There was confusion and dozens of worshippers lay on the ground in blood.” Another rescuer, who also requested anonymity, said: “The explosion happened in the midst of a large congregation of worshippers.” NEMA’s Bello said the victims were taken to two hospitals in the city.

“At the (Adamawa) State Specialist Hospital we have 18 dead bodies and 50 injured. At the Federal Medical Centre, we have nine dead and 46 injured,” he said.