Update on nyanya bomb blast

The May Day celebration ended on a bloody note last night.

Nine people died in a car bomb . Eleven were taken unconcious to the hospital. Many others were injured.

The blast occurred near a park opposite the spot where the April 14 incident occured.

The explosion rocked the Nyanya overhead bridge, flinging pedestrians down onto the road.

The bomb went off less than one and a half kilometers to a military checkpoint  mounted to prevent such incidents in the area.

According to an eye witness, the incident happened at about 8:20pm when vehicular  traffic was high.

The toll was confirmed by the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Boko Haram is suspected to be behind the attack.

A joint statement by the Head, Public Relations NCSDC, Emmanuel Okeh and the Press Officer of NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel, last night, said: "While security agencies have corndoned the area of an explosion this evening in Nyanya Abuja, response agencies have moved injured victims to hospitals and at least nine (9) lifeless bodies have been deposited in the mortuary while 11 unconscious victims are receiving medical attention in different hospitals in Abuja.

"Other injured victims too are being attended to

 "The public is urged to cooperate with security agencies and avoid rushing to the scene to guard against hampering the efforts of the various agencies working together to ensure public safety".

A source said:

 "I was walking on top of the bridge when the bomb exploded. It threw me off balance, but I managed to run to safety. The impact of the explosion shattered the windscreen of many vehicles on the bridge.

"When I regained consciousness and I looked under the bridge, many vehicles were already in flames.

"Being the main entry point to Abuja, traffic had already built up in the area."

Another source added: "The explosion happened opposite the park where Boko Haram struck about two weeks ago.

"There was hustling and bustling in the area because it is a major interchange leading to Mararaba-Masaka-Keffi route; New Karu-Jikwoyi road and Nyanya-Gwandara area.

"No doubt, there was heavy convergence of people because there is a night market in the area."

Replying to a question, the source added: "I cannot tell you the exact figures, but I saw 10 people lifeless on the floor. Many people were injured."

A source in the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), who was part of the rescue operation, said he could not immediately speak on the incident: "We will call back, we are trying to control traffic to evacuate the victims to hospital," he said.

The military, NEMA, the Federal Road Safety Commission, and other rescue agencies were at the scene.

The explosion may have confirmed the boast by the leader of Boko Haram, Imam Abubakar Shekau, that the sect was in Abuja.

Shekau, in a 28-minute video clip, who was apparently referring to President Goodluck Jonathan, when he said: " We are in your city. We are the ones that carried out the attack in Abuja."