KANO: Two blasts rocked bus stations in embattled northern Nigeria on Tuesday, killing at least 17 people, as relentless attacks persist less than five weeks from general elections.

The first explosion was caused by a bomb that ripped through a station on the outskirts of Potiskum, northeast Yobe state, which has been targeted repeatedly by Boko Haram Islamists.

Roughly four hours later, a blast hit a busy bus terminus in Kano, the north’s largest city and another frequent Boko Haram target.

The cause of the second explosion was not immediately clear and there was no initial word on casualties.

Nigeria’s Islamist militants have been blamed for more than 13,000 deaths since 2009, and have in recent weeks expanded their uprising into neighbouring countries, raising fears of a wider regional crisis.

In Niger on Tuesday, a mine planted by the insurgents killed two soldiers and injured four others in the Diffa region bordering Yobe, a security source said.

Niger this month joined Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria in a joint operation aimed at crushing Boko Haram’s uprising, and many expected the Islamist rebels to launch cross-border reprisals.

Nigeria has voiced hope that the four-nation offensive could contain the violence before national polls, which had been scheduled for Feb 14 but were postponed by six weeks because of the insurgency.

But with the bloodshed continuing on a nearly daily basis, security fears remain high ahead of the March 28 vote.

HUGE EXPLOSION: The Potiskum explosion occurred at the Tashar Dan-Borno motor park on the outskirts of the city immediately after a man put a bag in the boot of the bus and then tried to board. “The bus had just loaded with passengers on its way to Kano when a huge explosion happened inside the bus at exactly 11:40 am (1040 GMT),” said a driver’s union official at the bus station.

Potiskum was also attacked on Sunday, when a young girl detonated explosives strapped to her body at a crowded market.

Thirteen dead and 31 injured were initially brought to Potiskum General Hospital after Tuesday’s blast, according to a nurse at the facility, but she added: “Four more died here.

“So, we have 17 dead and 27 people with injuries. “The drivers’ union official said it was not immediately clear whether the man who placed the bag in the boot was a suicide bomber, or whether the explosives were hidden inside it.

Rescue workers at the scene said that all 12 people on board the bus were killed.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2015

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