Suicide Bomber Hits Catholic Church in Kaduna

A suicide bomber has hit St. Rita's Catholic Church in  Ungwar Yero  area of Kaduna metropolis. The attack which seriously injured the Reverend father in the church during the morning mass. The blast occurred around 10.15a.m, leading to a stampede in the packed church.
An Eyewitnesses told PYEMEDIA that a lone car bomber approached the church gate hoping to quietly drive into the church before exploding the bomb but the security men at the gate refused him entry.
The bomber then reversed his car and rammed it forcefully against the gate of the church, the gate caved in as the bomb exploded injuring several churchgoers.
Nigerian troops have cordoned off the area while the police and Kaduna state government officials are calming down  christian residents in the area to avoid religious confrontations that typically follows such attack in the state.
Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Yushau Shuaib, confirmed the blast in an SMS to PRESS.
“After receiving reports from our call centre over ‘bomb explosion’ at a worship centre in Malali, Kaduna, NEMA mobilised rescuers and other response agencies to the scene.
“A number of casualties evacuated to hospitals. The incident was suspected to be triggered by a suicide bomber in a car which relevant security agencies may soon determined,” he said.
Witnesses also reported another blast in Sabo, another Kaduna suburb a few minutes later.
The Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Adenaike, confirmed the first blast to the News Agency of Nigeria, saying the casualties had not been determined.
Although no group has claimed responsibility, the attacks bear the hallmarks of the extremist Boko Haram sect.
The group has claimed deadly attacks on churches in the past, which claimed several lives and left many injured.
It should be recall that, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, had on Wednesday ordered tight security at worship centres throughout the Sallah holidays.
It is not known how the bombers were able to beat the security network to cause havoc on Sunday morning.
Kaduna was the scene of deadly blast some months ago, which claimed several lives and left many injured.