Nigerian Police - Keep Away From Public Places Showing World Cup

Nigeria police have advised football fans to avoid public places showing FIFA World Cup matches after no fewer than 14 people died in an explosion in Damaturu, Yobe State on June 17.

Police spokesperson Frank Mba said this while speaking with AFP from Abuja. Mba encouraged football admirers to watch the games with family or friends.

Previous attacks on big screen venues by suspected Boko Haram insurgents have made at least two states to close such centres on security grounds.

Mba noted that individual states were within their rights to order closures, but police were working with centre operators and local agencies to improve security, particularly in the north.

Advice includes better searches of customers, increased vigilance from locals as well as creating pedestrian-only zones between 50 and 100 metres from venues to prevent car bomb attacks, police spokesperson said.

It would be recalled that a bomb, thought to have been hidden in a motorised rickshaw, exploded outside the viewing centre in Yobe's capital shortly after Brazil vs Mexico match. The police confirmed that 14 people were killed, but according to a medical source, more than 20 people lost their lives in the explosion.