Deadly bomb blast rocks U.N. building in Nigerian capital

Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) -- At least 18 people were killed Friday in a bombing at a U.N. building in the Nigerian capital, a police spokesman said.

Police commissioner Michael Zuokumo told reporters eight people had been injured.

Rescue officials at the scene in Abuja helped to pull the dead and injured from the rubble. Bomb squad officers and other security teams were also sent to the scene, deputy police spokesman Yemi Ajayi said.

A representative for the National Hospital said there was a shortage of blood to use in surgery. Hospital staff and relatives of the injured have been going to the blood bank to donate.

The hospital called in all doctors and nurses who were not working Friday to deal with the emergency, the spokeswoman said as ambulances brought people in.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan condemned what he called a "barbaric, senseless and cowardly attack."

A statement issued by his office said extra security had been ordered in the area around the capital and Nigeria would do everything it could to bring the perpetrators to justice.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, addressing the media in New York, said exact casualty figures are not yet known but are likely to be "considerable."



U.N. Secy.-Gen. condemns Nigeria attack

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He condemned the car bombing but would not speculate on who might be responsible.

The attack targeted a building that housed 26 U.N. humanitarian and development agencies, he said, adding: "This was an assault on those who devote their lives to helping others."

Ban said he was sending the deputy secretary general and the chief of U.N. security to Abuja, where they will try to determine who is responsible.

Yushau Shuaib, a spokesman for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, said the driver of the vehicle used in the bombing had passed through the first and second gates of the compound before detonating the explosives by the building's reception area.

A witness outside the U.N. building at the time of the attack told CNN she had seen a white SUV drive quickly through the main gate of the compound. She then heard two explosions in quick succession, the second one much larger and followed by the shattering of glass.

Images from the scene showed severe damage to the bottom floors of the building, with windows blown in and debris scattered around.

People who were in the U.N. building told CNN that after the explosion, a wall fell on some people, causing several casualties.

U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was shocked by the attack.

"This brutal act has killed and injured many innocent people, and I utterly condemn those who have carried it out," he said.

"Around the world the U.N. works for peace, security and international cooperation and an attack on the U.N. is an attack on these principles."

Alessandra Vellucci at the United Nations offices in Geneva, Switzerland, confirmed that the "U.N. premises in Abuja have been bombed" but was unable to give more details.

The building is home to the main U.N missions operating in Nigeria and may have had as many as 400 people inside.

CNN's Alkasim Abdulkadir said the area was not very busy because it was a diplomatic district, with the Liberian and U.S. embassies nearby, but there were people working there.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Abuja, Deborah MacLean, told CNN that there had been no damage to the embassy building, which is half a mile from the U.N. building.

Embassy personnel were initially told to be careful in case of further violence, she said.

Zoran Jovanovic, head of mission for the International Red Cross in Abuja, said the explosion was heard at 10:15 a.m.

The U.N. building is in a large compound that has five gates, Jovanovic said, adding that the area is also home to Western African embassies.

It is not yet clear who was responsible for the attack.

The Nigerian capital has experienced a series of bombings recently.

In June, a car blast killed at least five people at the police headquarters in the city. It detonated less than two minutes after the federal police chief entered the building, a security source said at the time.

A month later, at least three people died in an explosion near a church outside the capital. The number of casualties could have been higher if services had still been going on, according to a police spokesman.

In October, at least 12 people died when car bombs exploded as the nation celebrated 50 years of independence. The attacks near the Justice Ministry injured about 50.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claimed responsibility for the October attack. MEND, an umbrella organization of several rebel groups, is battling the government for fairer distribution of oil wealth.

Recent attacks, including on the church and police station, may have been the work of a radical Muslim sect, Boko Haram, the nation's officials said this year. Boko Haram aims to enforce a strict version of Sharia law in the nation.

Africa's most populous nation is divided between a largely Christian south and a Muslim north.

Courtesy CNN's Alkasim Abdulkadir, Umaro Djau, Christian Purefoy, Ben Brumfield, Stephanie Halasz, David Wilkinson and Claudia Rebaza contributed to this report.

Bayelsa Politics: Timi Alaibe's supporters Attacked

Several persons have been confirmed dead and scores injured in the Opokuma/Okolokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.

This is as a result of violence allegedly caused by hoodlums to disrupt the activities arranged by the people of Opokuma community to welcome the former MD of NDDC and the governorship flag bearer for Labour Party [LP] Mr. Timi Alaibe.

But the governorship candidate says his not deterred by such moves and called on his supporters to protect their votes when the time comes.

The Timi Alaibe Campaign Organization in a press statement signed by the Director of Publicity, Douye Diri said the attack on the peaceful welcome parade was planned, and funded by some disgruntled individuals.

"Even when it is conceded that it is the duty of security agencies to investigate and unravel the circumstances that led to the unprovoked attack on innocent citizens of Bayelsa State at the reception in Opokuma, the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation has every reason to assert that the attack and murder of innocent Bayelsans last Friday was planned, funded and executed by agents of the Bayelsa State Government.

"The attack is only a feeble attempt to intimidate and scare the long suffering people of Bayelsa State who are clearly resolute in their determination to put a new government in place in the State by May 2011.

The group said they are counting on the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to thoroughly investigate the activities of "this illegal army being run by the Bayelsa State Government, given the rising spate of politically-motivated violence in the State".

The Campaign Organisation also stated that it salutes all resolute Bayelsans who have refused to be intimidated or over-awed by the cheap antics of the out-going leadership in the State.

The organization is urging them to remain steadfast and vigilant since help is already on the way.

What an efficient security we have " remain steadfast and vigilant since help is already on the way"

Source: Channelstv

Another Warning Concerning Arik Airlines

Having witnessed several ugly incidents in the past weeks involving the outright neglect of passengers by Nigeria’s Arik Airlines, I feel the need to warn travellers worldwide to avoid them until a genuine change in their attitude toward customers is seen.

Virtue of my position, I am a regular traveller and was in Lagos, Nigeria for a conference on Monday, 4th January 2011. Scheduled to travel back to London on the morning of Wednesday, 6th January, I arrived at Nigeria’s Murtala Mohammed Airport and ran into a group of almost 200 passengers looking irritated, agitated and unkempt. With a few hours to spare, I decided to ascertain the nature of their troubles. I was shocked to learn that the passengers were due to leave the night before with Arik to Johannesburg, South Africa but had been kept in the airport for the duration of the entire night.

No hotel arrangements were made nor was food or beverages provided. The passengers received no explanation for the massive delay nor were they accorded any apology or respite. Most of the passengers, who were apparently returning from a church retreat, slept a minimal amount of hours on the uncomfortable airport chairs. The flight eventually left in the early hours of the afternoon, the airline surreptitiously and unrepentantly citing lack of fuel as the cause when I made my own enquiries.

This experience simply echoed that of my business colleague barely a week earlier. Travelling with Arik for the first time on the same route from Johannesburg to Lagos, he arrived to discover that the airline had offloaded approximately 180 passenger bags without any meaningful explanation. Apparently they had heavily overbooked the flight and decided to cover their error at the expense of their customer’s baggage. His scheduled meeting was delayed for over 48 hours as the bags, which were supposed to arrive the following morning, only reached Lagos late in the evening with a nearly 10 hour delay. Again, no respite or restitution was offered for the gross inconvenience. My friend’s vehement complaints were met with such appalling cynicism and lack of respect that he solemnly vowed to me he would never use the carrier again.

I have just one experience flying with Arik and sadly my prognosis matches the above accounts. Flying to J.F.K, again from Lagos, the flight was delayed for nearly eight hours, causing me to miss my connecting flight. When I demanded clarification from their office, I was met with the bizarre excuse that the pilot was down with malaria and they struggled to find a last minute replacement. I was forced to cancel a meeting that day and waited over 12 hours for the next available flight. No respite or refund was offered to me in the form of a hotel room or some refreshments.

In the light of the above, I feel compelled to warn passengers to avoid using the services of Arik Airlines. Maybe if their numbers decrease, they will be forced to pay more attention to customer service and improve their abysmal record. I hold nothing personal against the staff and management of Arik but believe something must be done immediately to restore their dwindling reputation, most especially in the areas of customer service and punctuality. A brief online search revealed scores of similar complaints from disgruntled Arik customers. If they can’t take care of the needs of their passengers, even when unpredictable circumstances arise, they should not be surprised if passengers stop using their services.

We hope this disappointment will not go beyond this...

Paul Botha
London, United Kingdom
Source: Sahara reporter

INEC Office in Delta state Razed

Two days to the governorship re-run election in Delta state, the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] office in Ughelli North, has been razed down by arsonists, while three persons were killed at Orogun town after a clash between supporters of two governorship candidates, Chief Ovie Omo-Agege of the Republican Party of Nigeria [RPN] and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP].

The clash at Chief Omo-Agege's hometown was perhaps retaliation on the part of his supporters who were prevented from entering Koko North Local Government Area where Dr. Uduaghan hails from.

The attack on INEC�s office at Ughelli North in the night leaves many wondering what would happen to the electorates in the area, if the materials have been destroyed.

Also pertinent is the issue of security during and after the election.

Prior to this time, hundreds of protesters had stormed the same INEC office in Delta state to protest against INEC�s alleged plan to use the old voter register for the rerun election in the state.

The commission had told registered political parties in the state that the old voter register would be used for the rerun.

But, INEC was told to bury its head in shame following the flaws that necessitated the recent upturn of the 2007 general election results in some states.

A renowned human rights activist, Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, led the protest, staged under the aegis of Deltans for Peaceful and Credible Election.

Kokori, the former NUPENG Secretary-General, accused the commission of collaborating with a frontline candidate in the rerun to scuttle the chances of others.

He said the group is aware that billions of naira have been doled out by the ruling People�s Democratic Party (PDP) to shortchange other candidates.

He said: "Tell your boss here in Delta that speculation is rife that some billions of naira have exchanged hands between the commission and a gubernatorial candidate in the state.

I don't want to believe that INEC of today could be settled. Please, do the right thing."

Kokori, who referred to the National Chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega as a "junior comrade", warned the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Gabriel Ogbudu Ada, not to do anything "silly" to discredit Jega's "hard- earned credibility".

He called on INEC to still display the old voter register.

Source: channelstv