2Nd Bomb Goes Off İn Nigeria's Kaduna; Casualties Feared

A second blast has gone off in Nigeria's northwestern Kaduna State moments after a first explosion claimed the lives of 25 people on Wednesday.



According to eyewitnesses, the second blast targeted a busy bus stop in the Kawo area, leaving several people dead.



"Another blast was heard at the popular Kawo bus stop area; casualties could be far higher than the earlier [bombing]," local resident Tajudeen Mora told Anadolu Agency by phone.



"I counted 17 bodies before security agents arrived at the scene," he said.



Mora voiced suspicion that the second blast "may have targeted Gen. Muhammadu Buhari because his convoy had just passed through the area."



Buhari, a retired former military leader and co-founder of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC), is a likely contender for next year's presidential polls.



The latest blast came shortly after at least 25 people were killed in a suicide bombing that appeared to target a popular Sufi scholar in Kaduna State's Mando area.



"We have confirmed 25 dead in the suicide blast," police spokesman Aminu Lawan had told Anadolu Agency.



Bauchi, a popular Muslim scholar affiliated with the Tijanniyah Sufi order, is a fierce critic of Nigeria's Boko Haram militant group, the activities of which he has repeatedly dismissed as anti-Islamic.



In response to the twin attacks, the state government has imposed a 24-hour curfew with a view to preempting a potential crisis in a state in which ethno-religious tensions run deep.



No group has thus far claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attacks.



Kaduna has witnessed a series of recent attacks that authorities blame on longstanding ethnic and political rivalries and land disputes between farmers and herdsmen.



By Rafiu Ajakaye



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Lagos