A bomb exploded in a crowded shopping centre in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people in a city already gripped by fear after a series of deadly attacks by Boko Haram Islamists, police and the government said.
The blast shook the Emab Plaza, not far from the country's parliament, at 4:00 pm (1500 GMT), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said, as shoppers were buying groceries ahead of the country's World Cup match against Argentina, which kicked-off an hour later.
"The casualty figure for now is 21 persons dead, 17 injured," national police spokesman Frank Mba said, adding that an arrest had been made. Senior government spokesman Mike Omeri confirmed that the blast was the result of "a bomb attack". Rescue teams were deployed to the scene and evacuated the victims from the area, NEMA spokesman Manzo Ezekiel told AFP.
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