(Recasts with three people killed)
JOS, May 24 (Reuters) - A suicide bombing on Saturday that was meant to target an open air viewing of a football match in the central Nigerian city of Jos blew up early before reaching its target, killing three people, a witness told Reuters.
A spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said they were aware of the bomb blast but declined to comment on casualty figures.
The bomber approached Jos Viewing Centre while people were watching Real Madrid play Atletico Madrid, but failed to get there before his car exploded, Mohammed Shittu, a local journalist at the scene said.
He had initially seen only the bomber's body but on revisiting the scene later saw another three dead, after emergency services had cordoned off the area.
The attempt followed a bombing in downtown Jos on Tuesday that killed 118 people. (Reporting by Buhari Bello; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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