At least 20 people have been killed in a bomb blast at the Sabon Gari local council in Zaria, today. 

A suspected suicide bomber targeted civil servants at a government building in the city, witnesses and emergency workers have rushed to the scene to help evacuate the wounded.

This came a day after police chief Solomon Arase announced new measures to curb the rise in bombings. They include:

• banning street trading and hawking in the capital, Abuja

• strengthening security at all mosques and churches countrywide.

The attack comes a day after some 182 people accused of links to Boko Haram were released.