Barely four months after multiple bomb blasts rocked West of Mines, the central area in Jos, Plateau State, two bombs again went off in the late hours of Saturday in two spots at Angwan Rukuba area of the metropolis.
Our correspondent gathered that the two bombs exploded 10 minutes after each other at Tina Junction and Odus area, respectively.
Gunshots also rent the air about 30 minutes later, although it could not be confirmed the direction from where they were coming.
Although details of the bomb blasts were still sketchy as at press time, our correspondent gathered that the first blast went off at about 10.10 pm near a popular television viewing centre, called Executive Mansion, while the second went off 10 minutes later at Odus, about five kilometres to Tina junction.
The sound of the blasts was heard many kilometres away as it reverberated through the silence of the night.
It was further gathered that the one that went off at Tina junction was dropped along the road and was suspected to be targeted at the television viewing centre. There was no report of fatality as at press time, but 11 people were said to have been injured, with three in critical condition.
However three persons were said to have been killed at Odus, but it was not confirmed.
A source in Nigerian Red Cross Society who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that his team were just arriving one of the spots and was yet to evacuate any casualty. He however said that three bodies had been sighted.
Attempts to get the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dipo Ayeni, were not successful as his phone was off.
The Special Task Force could not be reached either. Of the two emergency lines in use by the STF, one was switched off while the second one rang unpicked.
The latest incident came a few days after a text message was circulated around the town warning people of imminent bomb blasts in certain areas of Jos.
The message read, "There is a security report that on December 24, 2011, there will be bomb blasts in the following areas- Gyel market, Kugiya market, Abattior, Tudu wada,Tina junction,Satellite market, Angwa Rukuba, Hwolshe, Anglo Jos. Avoid populated places. Let's pray about it. Let's spread the news."
Similar explosions occurred on July 30, 2011, when bombs were detonated at the Angwan and Sarki Mangu areas of the city. Also on December 24, 2010, multiple bombs went off in Gada Biu and Angwan Rukuba areas of Jos North killing scores of people and wounding many.
In a related development, there was pandemonium in Sapele Local Government Area, Delta State, on Saturday following a blast suspected to have been caused by a bomb.
Several persons, who were observing their morning prayer in a mosque along Hausa Road, near Sapele Main Market, were said to have been wounded.
A source who pleaded anonymity, said a victim with a major injury, Tanko Musu, was taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
Another source said the explosion may be connected to the lingering rift among Muslim worshippers over the mode of worship in the mosque.The new Imam of the mosque was said to have introduced preaching in Hausa instead of Arabic, a development that riled the worshipers.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State, Mr. Charles Muka, who confirmed the incident, however, said the police did not find any substance used in making bombs at the blast scene.
When our correspondent visited the scene, the mosque had been cordoned off by security agents.
The state's Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Tsafe, was yet to brief journalists as at press time.
Meanwhile Nigeria has been listed as one of the 30 countries whose crises could have implications for the stability of the United States.
The list is contained in a report released on Friday by the Centre for Preventive Action of the highly influential Council on Foreign Relations.
Titled, 'Preventive Priorities Survey', the report placed the conflict spots in three categories: tier one, tier two and tier three.
The fourth in an annual series, the survey was based on CPA's interviews with a select group of government officials, academics, and experts.
They were asked "to review a list of plausible conflicts that could occur in 2012 and group them into three tiers of relative risk" to US national interests and global stability.
Although the report lists Nigeria as being of 'limited strategic interest' to the US, it lists it among what it describes as one of the countries where 'Tier Three' contingencies could occur.
Tier three contingencies are problems that won't lead the US directly into war but could have severe/widespread humanitarian consequences.
Other Tier Three contingencies include military conflict between Sudan and South Sudan; heightened political instability and sectarian violence in Nigeria; increased conflict in Somalia, with continued outside intervention; political instability in Venezuela surrounding the October 2012 elections or post-Chavez succession and political instability in Kenya surrounding the August 2012 elections.
Others include renewed military conflict between Russia and Georgia; an intensification of political instability and violence in Libya; violent election-related instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; political instability/resurgent ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan; and an outbreak of military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, possibly over Nagorno Karabak.
It says, "Tier One contingencies will directly threaten the US homeland or could push it into military involvement because of treaty commitments, or threaten the supplies of critical strategic resources.
"Critical issues or hotspots for 2012 include the European sovereign debt crisis; a strong cyber or nuclear attack on U.S. critical infrastructure or citizens or strategic allies; the Korean Peninsula; the Middle East; China; Mexico and Pakistan."
According to the report, Tier Two covers contingencies affecting countries of strategic importance to the US but do not involve a mutual defence treaty commitment.
It says, "These relate to likely incidents involving Egypt, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea between Turkey and Israel, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, the South China Sea; Israel, and Bahrain."
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