Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Police officer killed in Nigeria twin blasts

Deutsch: Politische Karte Nigerias (Bundesstaa...
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KADUNA, Nigeria, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Double explosions on Tuesday rocked northern Nigeria's Kaduna State, killing a policeman and injuring an unknown number of persons.

The dead policeman who was attached to the Anti-bomb Squad was part of the police team that raced to the scene after the first explosion occurred earlier.

Tuesday's explosions occurred barely a week after the militant Islamic sect, the Boko Haram, launched a suicide bombing attack on military formations in Kaduna.

The double explosions also took place barely 24 hours after a senior government official in an official car of the Kaduna State Government was shot by soldiers manning the gates to government House seat of the state governor.

The soldiers had mistaken the senior government official for a suicide bomber.

The dead policeman in Tuesday's explosions who was yet to be identified was said to be combing the vicinity of the first explosion close to the pedestrian bridge leading to the Sultan Bello Mosque for more explosives when he saw a polythene bag and in an attempt to verify the content, the object inside the bag exploded and tore him into shreds.

The first explosion had occurred at about 11:33 a.m local time close to the Angwan Sarki Market opposite the busy Kaduna State Transport Authority motor park, while the second explosion that killed the Anti bomb squad police officer went off at about 12:17 p.m local time close to the Sultan Bello Mosque still in Angwan Sarki in Kaduna North Local Government Area. A Xinhua reporter in the state said the explosions created panic amongst residents of the area who ran for dear lives to take refuge.

Traders at the nearby Angwan Sarki Market were forced to close their shops while schools and financial institutions around the area also shut down abruptly, he added. State police spokesperson Aminu Lawan confirmed the incident, saying the policeman whose identity he could not immediately confirm was killed while sweeping the scene of the first blast for more bombs.

The police spokesman however said investigations into the incident had already been launched by the police.

Meanwhile, a combined team of heavily armed policemen and soldiers has cordoned off the area, causing traffic jam.

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