Update 2 – 5 Feared Dead İn Nigeria Radio Station Blast

Five people were feared dead on Monday after a blast ripped through a private radio station in Okene town of central Nigeria's Kogi State, according to locals.



"Five people are dead at the moment but the casualties could rise," Ladi Umaru, a resident of the area, told The Anadolu Agency.



The blast ripped through Tao FM, a private station, about 8: 30pm local time, he added.



"Security agents have cordoned off the area," Umaru said.



Dr Tom Adaba, board chairman of the radio station, confirmed the blast.



"The report of the bomb blast is true," Adaba told AA by phone, declining to give further details.



A staff of the radio station said the blast went off shortly after he left the building.



"I just left the compound a few minutes before the blast which killed some of my colleagues. I don't have exact figure yet," he said, requesting anonymity.



The cause of the blast remains unclear.



Authorities have yet to comment on the report.



Kogi has hardly been targeted by the Boko Haram militants who have operated in the northeast since 2009.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Lagos