Boko Haram Claims Kano Suicide Attack

The Boko Haram sect on Saturday claimed responsibility for Friday’s suicide attack on a Shiite Muslim procession in Kano. At least 22 people were killed in the incident. The group said in a statement posted on its social media that its bomber detonated the explosives which killed the victims on Friday.
“And by the permission of Allah these attacks of ours against Shi’a polytheists will continue until we cleanse the earth of their filth,” AFP quoted Boko Haram as saying in the statement. At least 21 people were initially reported killed but the toll rose after one more person was confirmed dead. “For now, we have 22 deaths following the death of one more person yesterday. 38 people have also been injured, two of whom have been discharged from the hospital,” one of the organisers of the march Ali Kakaki told AFP on Saturday. He said despite the Friday’s attack, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria members had continued their march from Kano to Zaria in neighbouring Kaduna State, where their leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky is based. The march is to mark Ashura, which commemorates the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. “Following the attack, many more of our members have joined the procession,” Kakaki said, adding that they aimed to arrive at their destination next week.