By . Chris Pleasance . A car bomb attack in Nigeria's capital city has killed at least 19 people and injured another 60, according to officials. The blast happened at a police security checkpoint near a bus station late last night in the city of Abuja. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but it bears the hallmarks of radical Islamic group Boko Haram, who set off another blast just yards away last month which killed a further 70 people. The attack comes just days before the . city hosts the World Economic Forum on Africa, which will attract . prominent figures from across the globe including former Prime Minister . Gordon Brown, who is listed as a speaker. Scroll down for video . A car bomb in the Nigerian city of Abuja has killed at least 19 and wounded another 60, officials say . The blast happened at a security checkpoint near to a bus station, just yards from the site of another attack last month which killed 70 . The Nigerian government is deploying 6,000 police to protect the event, from May 7-9, which is designed to discuss Africa's economic growth prospects. Witnesses said a car laden with explosives drove close to the checkpoint and a man jumped out and ran as it blew up. A deafening explosion was followed by smaller ones as other cars caught fire and fuel ignited, they said. Queues of traffic are normal at the checkpoint where soldiers and police search vehicles since the bombing two weeks ago. Two unexploded IEDs were found at the scene, according to a security official. Islamic militants in Nigeria often time secondary explosions to target rescuers and others drawn to a bombing. Charles Osueke, who was in the area at the time of the blast, told the BBC that it was just 650ft away from the 14 April explosion. 'People in the crowd were saying that a man parked his car, walked away and the next thing they know, the car blew up,' he said.'I'm worried about our security here. After the last explosion, the president said he would increase security.'There were policemen around when this explosion happened and they didn't manage to stop it.' Boko Haram, whose name means 'Western education is sinful', are a radical group trying to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, claiming it would halt rife government corruption. Hours after the previous April 14 car bombing, which wounded at least 141 people, Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 250 teenage girls at a school in the remote north-east, which is their stronghold. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but it bears all the hallmarks of Boko Haram, a group of radical Muslims attempting to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria . The blast comes on the eve of the world Economic forum in Abuja, which is expected to attract politicians, business leaders and philanthropists from across the globe to discuss Africa's economic future . About 50 of the girls escaped their captors, but 200 remain missing in a growing embarrassment for Nigeria's government and military. The US State Department says it is discussing the crisis with Nigerian officials, and will hep with the situation 'in any way we can'. The attacks have undermined government and military assurances that the Islamic extremists had been contained in a north-eastern corner of the country. Every time the military trumpets a success against the militants, they step up the tempo and deadliness of attacks. More than 1,500 people have died in the Islamic uprising this year, compared to 3,600 between 2010 and 2013. President Goodluck Jonathan told a May Day rally in Abuja earlier yesterday that the perpetrators must be brought justice. 'We shall triumph over all this evil that wants to debase our humanity or obstruct our progress as a nation,' he vowed. 'Those who want to re-define our country to be seen as a country of chaos will never succeed.' Last week, he assured the Chinese ambassador that the hundreds of delegates expected at the World Economic Forum on Africa 'will not have a problem with security during the summit'. Authorities say that several smaller, unexploded IEDs were discovered near the scene, as bombers often time them to explode when rescue workers arrive . The attack marks a sharp escalation in violence from Boko Haram. More than 1,500 people have died at the hands of the extremists this year, compared to 3,600 between 2010 and 2013 . Abuja, in the heart of the country and far from Boko Haram's northeastern stronghold, had remained relatively peaceful since a 2011 suicide car bombing of the local U.N. headquarters that killed 21 people and wounded 60. Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer and is the continent's most populous nation. Its 170 million people are almost equally divided between Christians and Muslims. The uprising poses the greatest threat to Nigeria's cohesion and security and imperils nearby countries where its fighters have gone to train. Fighters from Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been found among extremists in Nigeria. In May 2013, Mr Jonathan declared a state of emergency and deployed thousands of troops to the north-east after the extremists took control of entire towns and villages. Security forces quickly forced the insurgents out of urban areas but have been fighting to dislodge them from hideouts in forests and mountain caves along the border with Cameroon and Chad. Near-daily air bombardments of that area have halted since the girls and young women were abducted.
Blast happened late last night at security checkpoint near a bus stop .
Explosion happened just yards from site of another blast last month .
Tragedy on eve of World Economic Forum, to be attended by world leaders .
Nobody has claimed responsibility but blast bears hallmarks of Boko Haram .
By . Chris Pleasance . A car bomb attack in Nigeria's capital city has killed at least 19 people and injured another 60, according to officials. The blast happened at a police security checkpoint near a bus station late last night in the city of Abuja. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but it bears the hallmarks of radical Islamic group Boko Haram, who set off another blast just yards away last month which killed a further 70 people. The attack comes just days before the . city hosts the World Economic Forum on Africa, which will attract . prominent figures from across the globe including former Prime Minister . Gordon Brown, who is listed as a speaker. Scroll down for video . A car bomb in the Nigerian city of Abuja has killed at least 19 and wounded another 60, officials say . The blast happened at a security checkpoint near to a bus station, just yards from the site of another attack last month which killed 70 . The Nigerian government is deploying 6,000 police to protect the event, from May 7-9, which is designed to discuss Africa's economic growth prospects. Witnesses said a car laden with explosives drove close to the checkpoint and a man jumped out and ran as it blew up. A deafening explosion was followed by smaller ones as other cars caught fire and fuel ignited, they said. Queues of traffic are normal at the checkpoint where soldiers and police search vehicles since the bombing two weeks ago. Two unexploded IEDs were found at the scene, according to a security official. Islamic militants in Nigeria often time secondary explosions to target rescuers and others drawn to a bombing. Charles Osueke, who was in the area at the time of the blast, told the BBC that it was just 650ft away from the 14 April explosion. 'People in the crowd were saying that a man parked his car, walked away and the next thing they know, the car blew up,' he said.'I'm worried about our security here. After the last explosion, the president said he would increase security.'There were policemen around when this explosion happened and they didn't manage to stop it.' Boko Haram, whose name means 'Western education is sinful', are a radical group trying to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, claiming it would halt rife government corruption. Hours after the previous April 14 car bombing, which wounded at least 141 people, Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 250 teenage girls at a school in the remote north-east, which is their stronghold. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but it bears all the hallmarks of Boko Haram, a group of radical Muslims attempting to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria . The blast comes on the eve of the world Economic forum in Abuja, which is expected to attract politicians, business leaders and philanthropists from across the globe to discuss Africa's economic future . About 50 of the girls escaped their captors, but 200 remain missing in a growing embarrassment for Nigeria's government and military. The US State Department says it is discussing the crisis with Nigerian officials, and will hep with the situation 'in any way we can'. The attacks have undermined government and military assurances that the Islamic extremists had been contained in a north-eastern corner of the country. Every time the military trumpets a success against the militants, they step up the tempo and deadliness of attacks. More than 1,500 people have died in the Islamic uprising this year, compared to 3,600 between 2010 and 2013. President Goodluck Jonathan told a May Day rally in Abuja earlier yesterday that the perpetrators must be brought justice. 'We shall triumph over all this evil that wants to debase our humanity or obstruct our progress as a nation,' he vowed. 'Those who want to re-define our country to be seen as a country of chaos will never succeed.' Last week, he assured the Chinese ambassador that the hundreds of delegates expected at the World Economic Forum on Africa 'will not have a problem with security during the summit'. Authorities say that several smaller, unexploded IEDs were discovered near the scene, as bombers often time them to explode when rescue workers arrive . The attack marks a sharp escalation in violence from Boko Haram. More than 1,500 people have died at the hands of the extremists this year, compared to 3,600 between 2010 and 2013 . Abuja, in the heart of the country and far from Boko Haram's northeastern stronghold, had remained relatively peaceful since a 2011 suicide car bombing of the local U.N. headquarters that killed 21 people and wounded 60. Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer and is the continent's most populous nation. Its 170 million people are almost equally divided between Christians and Muslims. The uprising poses the greatest threat to Nigeria's cohesion and security and imperils nearby countries where its fighters have gone to train. Fighters from Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been found among extremists in Nigeria. In May 2013, Mr Jonathan declared a state of emergency and deployed thousands of troops to the north-east after the extremists took control of entire towns and villages. Security forces quickly forced the insurgents out of urban areas but have been fighting to dislodge them from hideouts in forests and mountain caves along the border with Cameroon and Chad. Near-daily air bombardments of that area have halted since the girls and young women were abducted.
officials. The blast happened at a police security checkpoint near a bus station late last night in the city of Abuja. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but it the World Economic Forum on Africa, which will checkpoint near to a bus station, just yards from the site of another attack last month which the hallmarks of Boko Haram, a group of radical