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| Africa Subsaharan | |
| Nigerian Independence Day blasts kill seven | |
| 2010-10-02 | |
[Al Arabiya] Two car bombs blew up on Friday as Nigeria celebrated its 50th independence anniversary, killing at least seven people in an unprecedented attack on the capital by suspected Islamic snuffies from the country's oil region.
"For 50 years, the people of the Niger Delta have had their land and resources stolen from them," the group said in a statement. While Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is oil rich most people live on less than $1 a day. The delta is very impoverished and polluted from spills. A senior intelligence officer was among the seven killed, one of his colleagues from the intelligence service said on condition of anonymity. "There were more casualties at the second kaboom because the first kaboom drew crowds to the scene, which is close to the second kaboom," the intelligence officer said. Police front man Emmanuel Ojukwu said earlier that "my information is that there was an kaboom in a house" and he could not confirm any fatalities. However, The infamous However... some 10 cars were destroyed and the blast did not appear to originate from a house, an AFP journalist said. Although most of its activities have been focused on the creeks and swamps of the delta, MEND has struck further afield, including at off-shore oil installations and in the heart of Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos. "Several bombs have been successfully planted in and around the venue by our operatives working inside the government security services," the warning email, signed by MEND front man Jomo Gbomo, said. A third and smaller kaboom hit a venue at Eagle Square where President Goodluck Jonathan stood with other dignitaries, about a 10-minute walk from where the car bombs detonated. A security agent was apparently injured in that kaboom. Friday's attacks would be among the thugs' boldest yet, striking in Nigeria's capital during an event with heavy security held hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the delta. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Fred, you may want to double-check the rewriting code thingey; when used on this article, it gives the impression that MEND was an islamic group. I don't know if it is or not, but the Wikipedia entry makes no mention of a religious affiliation, and if it's based out of the Niger Delta, I doubt it is. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2010-10-02 17:12 |
| #1 Henry Okah, the ex-leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta was arrested in Johannesburg . Apparently Nigerian Intelligence Services knew an attack was imminent, but couldn't stop it |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-10-02 14:39 |