Bomb blast rips through football viewing centre in Damaturu

An explosion ripped through a football viewing centre in Damaturu, northern Nigeria, on Tuesday, residents said, as fans gathered to watch the World Cup.


The blast at the Crossfire venue, in the Nayi-Nawa area of the state capital of Yobe, happened at about 8:00 pm (1900 GMT), just as tournament hosts Brazil kicked off against Mexico.

Many persons are reported injured and have been evacuated to hospitals‎.

The casualty figure is yet to be established.

Yobe is one of the three states under emergency rule due to the activities of the extremist Boko Haram sect.

There have been bomb attacks targeted at viewing centres in Adamawa and Plateau states leading to the death of dozens of people.

Following this spate of explosions, the Nigeria Police had a week ago advised owners of the centres to take extra security measures as well as to collaborate with security agencies to safeguard their viewers during this World Cup period.

“For the safety of your clients and customers, the operators of the centres should carry out a thorough stop and search of viewers before allowing them into the centres”, Force spokesperson, Frank Mba, had said in a statement.

A day after Mr. Mba’s statement, the Federal Capital Territory administration announced a ban on TV viewing centres in the city, and warned operators against flouting the order.

The Plateau State Police Command also issued a similar directive and advised football fans to stay away from such centres, saying they should rather watch all the matches of the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup in their respective houses.