Bombs hit Nigerian city, many dead

KANO, (Nigeria), Apr 25 (AFP): Three bomb blasts have hit a city in northeastern Nigeria, leaving a number of people killed and wounded in an attack believed to have been carried out by an Islamist sect, police said Monday. The blasts Sunday night ahead of Tuesday's state governorship elections occurred at a hotel tavern and outside the gate of a transport hub in Maiduguri, police spokesman Mai Mamman said. Unrest swept across Nigeria's north following April 16 presidential elections won by incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, with hundreds believed killed, but it was unclear whether the bomb blasts had any connection to the rioting. Maiduguri has long been hit by violence blamed on an Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which launched an uprising in 2009, though some of the recent attacks are believed to have been politically linked. "For sure casualties were recorded, but we cannot say how many dead or how many were injured in the blast," Mamman said. "The victims were evacuated to two hospitals in the city. We will have to sort out the victims to ascertain how many were dead and how many were injured. From all indications, this is the handiwork of Boko Haram, which has carried out similar attacks in the past." Of the three blasts, two occurred at the hotel and one at the motor park. Boko Haram had distributed fliers earlier Sunday warning of further attacks.