KANO, Nigeria, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- At least 50 people were killed Friday when gunmen opened fire and exploded bombs in the Kano, Nigeria, central mosque, eyewitnesses said.
The attack was presumed to be the work of Boko Haram.
The mosque is adjacent to the palace of the Emir of Kano, the local Muslim leader, and is the seat of local Muslim authority. The Emir, Muhammad Sanusi, was not present when the incident occurred.
Earlier in November the Emir, who generally refrains from political pronouncements, said in a prayer meeting people should "acquire what they need" to defend themselves from Boko Haram, what a local police spokesman said was a "call for anarchy."
Three explosions were heard in the mosque after worshipers gathered, eyewitnesses said. Although no responsibility for the attack has been acknowledged, it was typical of Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group terrorizing Nigeria for the past five years. The group has targeted Kano, a city of about three million, in the past, but most recent Boko Haram attacks have occurred further east.
