A suicide bomb attack targeting a political meeting killed seven people in Potiskum city on Sunday, just two weeks from national elections, witnesses and a police officer told AFP.

“We have evacuated eight bodies including the suicide bomber’s to hospital,” said a police officer at the scene, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Seven others were injured, he added.

Witness Nura Umar, who gave the same death toll, said the bomber emerged from a bus that pulled up in front of the home Sabo Garbu, who is running for a seat in the lower house on the ruling Peoples Democracy Party ticket. Garbu was holding a campaign meeting ahead of February 14 polls in his home at the time but none of the participants were injured, the policeman and three witnesses said.

Boko Haram Islamists have carried out waves of similar bombings across the northeast during a six-year uprising, and have killed politicians in targeted attacks. But it was not immediately clear why the insurgents would want to target Garbu and it was possible that the attack was carried out by another group with a separate political motive.

Credit: AFP