Blast hits Shia ceremony in Nigeria's Yobe

Rasa - A large explosion in Nigeria has ripped through a procession of Shia worshippers mourning the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH).

News ID: 1542

Date: 03 November 2014 - 18:03

RNA - At least 15 people were killed and some 50 other mourners injured in the bombing which rocked the major Shia ceremony in Nigeria's northeastern state of Yobe on Monday.

"We lost 15 of our members in a suicide blast at the end of our Ashura procession," said Mustapha Lawan Nasidi, the head of the Shia community in the targeted city of Potiskum in Yobe State.

The area has been repeatedly attacked by Takfiri militants, including the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

The worshippers were gathered outside a seminary in the Tsohuwar Kasuwa area of the city, after visiting the palace of the local emir, witness Ibrahim Maina and local police told the AFP news agency.

Yobe, along with some other regions in Nigeria, has been the scene of numerous terrorist attacks by Takfiri militants, including Boko Haram, in the past months. The attacks have left many people dead.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

Since beginning its operations in 2009, the militant group has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria which have left more than 10,000 people dead so far.

Human Rights Watch has estimated that over 500 young women and girls have been abducted by Boko Haram militants over the past five years.

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