1 dies, many injured in Nigeria church blast

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - A suicide bomber died when he detonated his explosive-laden vehicle at the gate of the St. John's Catholic Church in Nigeria's northern city of Bauchi on Sunday, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

NEMA said in a statement that many others were rushed to the hospital for treatment following the blast, which occurred during the early morning Mass.

Eyewitnesses however told PANA that the death toll could be higher, and that the number of those injured could be as high as 47.

Police spokesman Hassan Auyo said casualty figures were still being compiled.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it fits the profile of previous bombings, including many against churches, by the Islamic sect Boko Haram in the predominantly-Muslim northern Nigeria since 2009, when sect leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed by the police

Sunday's suicide bomb attack came a few days after the military Joint Task Force (JTF) battling the sect announced the killing of four of its top commanders, two each in Kano and Maiduguri.

Boko Haram, which means ''Western education is sacrilege'' in the local Hausa language, has recently resorted to attacking telecommunication infrastructure in the north, and has destroyed about 30 base stations belonging to different telecommunications firms.
-0- PANA SEG 23Sept2012