Police say the blast occurred at the Sani Abacha barracks, where people had gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve on Friday night. Local journalists say injured people are being carried away from the scene.
“There was a bomb blast inside the Mammy market. The bomb exploded where people were eating and drinking,” the civil defense corps chief for the capital, Rabi Saidu, told reporters.
According to police spokesman Moshood Jimoh, a report that a second bombing targeted a church in Karu, a suburb of Abuja, was a false alarm.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the country’s security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators of the attack.
Nigeria’s military chief, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petirin, said, “It’s unfortunate that some people planted a bomb where people were relaxing.”
The cause of the explosion is not yet known, and no more details are available.
A week ago, multiple bomb attacks were committed by unknown assailants in the central city of Jos and the northeastern city of Maiduguri.
