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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's president is blaming the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram (BOH'-koh hah-RAHM') for the bombing attack that killed more than 70 people in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. The explosion ripped through a bus station during the morning rush hour.
One official said he believed the bomb had been buried in the ground, while the emergency management agency says the explosives were apparently hidden in a vehicle.
A police spokesman says the blast destroyed 16 luxury buses and 24 minibuses and cars.
There's been no claim of responsibility for the bombing, although bus stations are a favored target of the extremist group. Its goal is to make Nigeria an Islamic state with Islamic law enforced throughout the country. The group poses the greatest threat to Nigeria's cohesion and security, and also threatens nearby countries where its fighters have gone to train and fight.
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201-r-06-(Sound of emergency vehicle sirens rushing to scene, of massive explosion)--Sound of emergency vehicle sirens rushing to the scene of the explosion amid efforts to pull victims from the rubble. COURTESY: Channels TV Nigeria ((mandatory on-air credit)) (14 Apr 2014)
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202-r-14-(Sound of emergency vehicle sirens and car alarms, at scene of massive explosion)--Sound of car alarms and rescue vehicles at the scene of the explosion. COURTESY: Channels TV Nigeria ((mandatory on-air credit)) (14 Apr 2014)
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APPHOTO NIN108: A man is directed by rescue workers as they collect the bodies of victims at the site of a blast at the Nyanya Motor Park, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the center of Abuja, Nigeria, Monday, April 14, 2014. An explosion blasted through a busy commuter bus station on the outskirts of Abuja before 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) Monday as hundreds of people were traveling to work. (AP Photo/Gbemiga Olamikan) (14 Apr 2014)
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