Over 150 people killed in jos market explotion

Although eyewitnesses account put the death toll at 150, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Olakpe, said that 46 people were killed while 45 others were wounded.

The first bomb, which was said to have been detonated by a suicide bomber in a Fiat car, happened at about 3pm when the market was at its height. The second blast occurred from a Toyota Sienna about 20 metres from the scene of the first.

One of the eyewitnesses said the bomber in the Fiat car stopped it abruptly along the busy Muritala Mohammed Way which is very close to the old site of the Jos University Teaching Hospital.

He was said to have left the car for minutes to cause enough traffic build-up before he returned and detonated the explosives in it. The explosion was heard all over Jos and Bukuru metropolis.

However as people gathered to assist victims, some hoodlums started looting and burning cars. In the course of their action, some youths noticed the Toyota Sienna parked at some distance and went for it.

While trying to vandalise it, one of them put a light under the Sienna and immediately it exploded, killing nearly all those in the vicinity.