It was again a black Christmas in Madalla, Suleja local government area of Niger State as early morning bomb blasts killed twelve persons, including three policemen on the spot and left many injured.
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The blast tore through St Theresa's Church in Madalla as worshippers gathered for Christmas services. The Church, located at the centre of the border settlement between the state and federal Capital, Abuja.
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LEADERSHIP gathered that the bomb went off at about 7.30 am as many worshippers arrived church for the early morning mass to commemorate the Christmas.
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No fewer than two hundred worshippers were gathered inside the church, which resulted in the high casualty rate. Several other persons were severely injured and rushed to various hospitals in Suleja and the F.C.T.
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An emergency official told reporters that the authorities were struggling to cope with the casualties.
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Spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Yushau Shuaibu told the BBC that the explosion had happened in the street outside the church. But he said the church had been badly affected by the blast, and the number of dead was likely to rise.
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Earlier he told Reuters news agency: “We are presently evacuating the dead and the injured, but unfortunately we don't have enough ambulances.
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“Most of our ambulances have gone to operate on the major highways of the country.”
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Witnesses said windows of nearby houses had been shattered by the explosion.
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Officials at the local hospital said the condition of many of the injured was serious, and they were seeking help from bigger medical facilities.
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No group has said it carried out the attack.
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The Police Commissioner in charge of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Maishanu said: “ I can confirm that a bomb blast occurred in Madalla this morning and so far, 12 persons, including three policemen have so far died as a result of the blast and several others were ?injured.