An explosion occurred at a major shopping mall, Emab Plaza, in Wuse 2, on Aminu Kano Crescent, an Abuja upmarket suburb at about 4pm 'local time'.
According to report, the explosion occurred at the gate of the busy plaza as Nigerians were preparing to watch their country's Super Eagles play Argentina at the World Cup in Brazil.
It was gathered that many shops at the mall have TV screens but it was unclear if the explosion was timed to coincide with the match, which started an hour later.
Witnesses said body parts were scattered around the exit to the Plaza and billows of black smoke could be seen from miles away.
An eye witness identified as Shuaibu Baba, who had a narrow escape, said he rushed downstairs to find that the driver who had dropped him a few minutes earlier was dead. "I heard the explosion and [felt] the building shaking," said I asked the driver to come with me, and he said 'No,' he would wait for me in the car."
Police superintendent Frank Mba said 21 bodies have been recovered while 17 people were wounded. He said one suspect has been arrested and investigations have already started.
An Abuja resident who spoke with Roving Informant on anonymity terms said SMS messages had gone round on Teusday, warning residents of an imminent bomb explosion in an (unidentified) area of the city.
"We thought it was only a threat, as we did not anticipate the bombers can penetrate into the city" he said.
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