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Nigerian Police Warn Public After Deadly Blast

Nigerian security forces said steps were underway Wednesday to protect "soft targets and infrastructure" after a deadly explosion at a shopping mall in Abuja.
Image: Firefighters douse cars after a bomb blast at a crowded shopping district in Abuja
Firefighters douse cars after a bomb blast at a crowded shopping district in Abuja, Nigeria, on June 25. The explosion tore through the popular Banex Plaza shopping center in the upscale Wuse 2 district of the Nigerian capital Abuja during rush hour on Wednesday, a police spokesman said. AFOLABI SOTUNDE / Reuters

Nigerian security forces said steps were underway Wednesday to protect "soft targets and infrastructure" after a deadly explosion at a shopping mall in Abuja. Police warned the public to stay away from explosion sites to avoid becoming victim of "a likely case of secondary blast."

An explosion hit the Emab Shopping Complex in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, about 4 p.m. Wednesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens more. An editor of a Nigerian newspaper was reported to be among the victims.

Nigeria has been hit by ongoing violence, widely suspected to be perpetrated by the Islamist group Boko Haram. In April, a bomb attack on a bus station in Abuja killed more than 70 people, and in May two car bombs killed more than 120 in the city of Jos, northeast of Abuja in central Nigeria.

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