Boko Haram behind Nigeria blasts?

Lagos, May 21: As many as 118 people were killed and dozens injured in the twin blasts that hit a market in the central city of Jos Tuesday afternoon, security agencies said.

A BBC report quotes a witness as saying, "The second blast was close to me. I tried to get to my car. I was asking for help. I saw a lot of dead people. After the blast people could not stop panicking. People were driving in all directions."President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attack as a "tragic assault on human freedom".

"President Jonathan assures all Nigerians that the government remains fully committed to winning the war against terror and... will not be cowed by the atrocities of enemies of human progress and civilisation," the president's office said.

The attack comes at a time when the government and international agencies are trying to bring back over 200 school girls who were kidnapped by Muslim group Boko Haram. Police suspect that Boko Haram is behind the blasts, says a Independent report.

Although Boko Haram has previously targeted Jos, the capital of Plateau state, the city has been relatively calm for almost two years. The previous incidents of violence in the state were blamed on land disputes between semi-nomadic Muslim Fulani herdsmen and mainly Christian Berom farmers.

IANS