Pages

Monday, February 2, 2015

Nigeria elections: Blast at Jonathan rally in Gombe


A bomb has exploded outside a stadium in Nigeria's Gombe city, minutes after President Goodluck Jonathan had left a campaign rally there.
At least one bystander was killed and seven others wounded when the car bomb exploded, Reuters news agency reports.
Mr Jonathan is standing for re-election in presidential elections due to be held on 14 February.
Militant Islamist group Boko Haram has stepped up attacks ahead of the polls.
Mohammed Bolari, who was at the rally, said the explosion occurred some three minutes after Mr Jonathan's departure, AFP news agency reports.
"The president had just passed the parking lot and we were trailing behind his convoy when the explosion happened," he is quoted as saying.
Mr Jonathan addressed a rally in the north-eastern city a day after it was hit by two blasts that killed at least five people, AFP reports.
Since Monday morning, the city has largely been in lock down with security operatives restricting the movement of people in most areas, Nigeria's privately owned Daily Trust newspaper reports.
A local journalist told AFP the latest blast has led to unrest in Gombe, with angry youth attacking supporters of Mr Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP).
"They were shouting and denouncing the president's visit which they blamed for the attack," he added.
Mr Jonathan is running against ex-military Muhammadu Buhari in the election.
Northern Nigeria is seen as Mr Buhari's stronghold.
A blast ripped through a car park outside a stadium where  President Goodluck Jonathan had addressed a re-election campaign rally on Monday, minutes after he left, witnesses said.
Mohammed Bolari, who was at the rally in Gombe, said the explosion happened at 3:10 pm  just three minutes after Jonathan’s departure.
A local reporter added: “The president had just passed the parking lot and we were trailing behind his convoy when the explosion happened… just 100 metres (yards) from the bus we were driving in.”

No comments:

Post a Comment