Red Cross: 7 Killed In North Nigeria Blast

NPR

by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria June 8, 2012, 12:17 pm ET

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — A suicide bomber blew up his car outside police headquarters Friday in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing himself and six other people and wounding 20, the Nigerian Red Cross said amid warnings that the situation in the city is worsening.

The blast occurred Friday around noon in front of the headquarters’ gate after officers prevented the bomber from entering the compound, said Borno State police chief Bala Hassan. Hassan said that only one policeman and two civilians were killed and six civilians were injured. However, officials have downplayed casualty figures in the past.

Hours earlier, a suspected bomber died when an explosive went off prematurely in another part of the city, said military spokesman Col. Victor Ebhaleme.

A radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has carried out similar attacks in Maiduguri where residents live in constant fear of the next blast or drive-by shooting.

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