The explosion occurred around 9am. Governor Nasir El-Rufai had initially reported that 20 persons died moments after the incident, however, an official statement by Samuel Aruwan, spokesperson for Mr. El-Rufai hours after the explosion has confirmed 25 people dead, including a two-year-old.
“I am sad that a terrorist bomb attack just killed 20 people in Sabon Gari Zaria,” Kaduna state governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai initially wrote on his Twitter account. Hours later however, he posted that "casualties from the Zaria blast regrettably reached 25 dead; 32 injured"
According to reports, public sector staff and primary school teachers were undergoing screening to identify potential ghost workers on the state payroll.
They were taking turns going into the hall in batches for the screening and also to get theirr pay cheques when suddenly there was a huge explosion inside the hall followed by billows of smoke and dust.
Governor El-Rufai, has reiterated the need for people in Zaria to be vigilant and avoid crowded places such as mosques, churches and bus stations in the next few weeks.
“We call on our people to report any suspicious persons and movements to law enforcement agents, traditional rulers and religious leaders,” he added.
Zaria, a mainly Muslim city some 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of the state capital Kaduna city, is near the border with Katsina and Kano states.
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