Hospitals create information centres for relatives.
The Nigerian Police on Monday afternoon confirmed that at least 71 people died in the bomb explosion at a motor park in Nyanya, the outskirts of Abuja.
The police spokesperson, Frank Mba, confirmed this to journalists in Abuja.
“So far, we have a total of 71 persons dead and 124 others injured and they are all, receiving treatments at various hospitals in and around FCT metropolis,” Mr. Mba said.
Estimates by witnesses and body count by our reporter at the scene indicate the casualty may go up as about 200 people are believed to have died from the blast.
During his visit to the blast scene and the hospitals, President Goodluck Jonathan appealed to the media to assist government in enlightening the public on security consciousness.
Mr. Jonathan was close to tears as he spoke at the blast site.
Some of the affected vehicles were seen littered around the park while the dead and the injured had been taken to hospitals.
Some of the affected vehicles were seen littered around the park while the dead and the injured had been taken to hospitals.
Mr. Jonathan harped on the need for extra vigilance and for people to report suspicious movements in any part of the country to security agencies.
“You can see that I am here with Senate President, Senator David Mark. And the Chairman of PDP, Chief of Defence, service chiefs, National Security Adviser, and that the security agencies are also doing their best to handle the situation,” Mr. Jonathan said.
“Let us first express our collective condolence to the family of those who lost their lives and also commend the security agencies for their quick response.
“It is not the number, let me appeal to our country men and women, for them to continue to work, very hard on this issue of Boko Haram,” he added.
The president said government will do everything necessary to ensure that the country moves forward despite the activities of those who preferred to move the country backwards.
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