Many Catholic faithful in Kano abstained from Sunday mass at the Our Lady Cathedral, Sabon Gari, following a bomb blast at a nearby school days ago.

There was low turnout at the usually packed cathedral on Sunday, unlike in past masses where congregants overflow to outer court of the building.

The few worshippers who braved the cold to attend the 6:30 a.m. mass had comfortable seating, though the cathedral remained sparsely populated.

Worshippers were however put through strict security scan before gaining access to the cathedral. The church premises was also heavily guarded by security men.

On Tuesday, nine persons were killed in a blast at Winner’s Academy Nursery and Primary School, Sabon Gari. The police claimed the explosion was caused by a gas cylinder.

During the sermon, the officiating priest commended the worshippers’ efforts in attending the mass, despite the gas explosion that rocked the neighborhood.