Three explosions on Friday rocked the mosque of one of Nigeria’s most well-known Islamic leaders, the Emir of Kano, as worshippers gathered for weekly prayers, witnesses told AFP.
“Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started,” Aminu Abdullahi said, adding that a third went off nearby.
The Emir, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was said to be inside the mosque at the time, with the explosions happening in an outdoor courtyard, and there was no immediate word on casualties.
The police in Kano have confirmed the death of 35 persons in the three explosions at the Central Mosque in Kano metropolis on Friday.
The Kano State Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Sanusi Lemu, gave the figures when he briefed newsmen in Kano.
He said 150 persons sustained injuries in the three blasts “which occurred in different places around the vicinity of the mosque.’’
According to him, the incident happened when many people converged on the mosque for the Friday congregational prayers at about 2p.m.
He said security had been beefed up in the area while investigation had since commenced.
Lemu said the injured persons had been taken to hospitals for treatment while the corpses had been deposited at the morgue.
Lemu urged the people in the state to continue to be very vigilant and report any suspected persons to the security agencies for immediate action.
Eye-witness said that three persons suspected to be connected with the explosives were burnt to death.
“This was after one of the suspected suicide bombers detonated the bomb from the vehicle he was driving.’’
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up around the mosque close to the Emir’s Palace in the city.
