Three explosions on Friday rocked
the mosque of one of Nigeria‘s best known Islamic leaders, the Emir of Kano, as
worshippers gathered for weekly prayers, witnesses have said.
“Two bombs exploded, one after the
other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had
started,” Aminu Abdullahi said, adding that a third went off nearby.
The Emir, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was
said to be inside the mosque at the time, with the explosions happening in an
outdoor courtyard, and there was no immediate word on casualties.
Abdullahi and another witness,
Hajara Tukur, who said she lives nearby, said the police began firing weapons
in the chaos that followed the blasts, as worshippers began scrambling for
safety.
Preaching at Kano’s Grand Mosque
last week, the emir urged northerners to take up arms against Islamist group
Boko Haram and cast doubt on the military’s ability to protect civilians and
end the insurgency.
The Emir of Kano is a hugely
influential figure in Nigeria, which is home to more than 80 million Muslims,
most of whom live in the north.
Officially the emir is the country’s
number two cleric, behind the Sultan of Sokoto.
Sanusi, who was named emir earlier
this year, is a prominent figure in his own right, having previously served as
the chief of Nigeria‘s central bank, where he spoke out against massive
government fraud.
An attack on Sanusi could inflame
tensions in Kano, Nigeria‘s second city and most populous in the north. (AFP)
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