Bomb attack on central mosque in kano

Three explosions on Friday rocked the mosque of one of Nigeria's most well-known Islamic leaders, the Emir of Kano, as worshippers gathered for weekly prayers, witnesses told AFP.

"Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started," Aminu Abdullahi said, adding that a third went off nearby.

The Emir, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was said to be inside the mosque at the time, with the explosions happening in an outdoor courtyard, and there was no immediate word on casualties.

"These people have bombed the mosque. I am face to face with people screaming," said Chijjani Usman, a local reporter who resides inside the old city where the blast took place, and who had gathered there for prayers himself.