40 die in football field blast, 1 held

Abuja, Nigeria: Nigeria’s military on Monday said it had made an arrest in connection with the bombing of a football match that killed at least 40 people.

“A key suspect in the terror bomb explosion that rocked Kabang community in Mubi, Adamawa state... has been arrested by troops who cordoned (off) the area in swift response to the explosion,” defence spokesman Chris Olukolade told reporters.

A police officer, a nurse at the hospital where the dead and wounded were taken and residents said that at least 40 were killed in the blast, which happened at about 6:30 pm on Sunday.

The military and state government gave a lower number of dead and injured, but conflicting death tolls are not unusual in Nigeria.

The apparent target was fans trying to leave the field after watching a local club match.

Muhammad Hassan, a Mubi resident who was at the match, said the blast appeared to come from within the crowd of people who were walking across the pitch and heading home after the final whistle.