Three persons arrested over Abuja bombs

CNN report


Three people have been arrested in Nigeria and are being questioned in connection with the Friday blasts that killed 12 and injured 50 in the nation's capital, a spokesman for President Goodluck Jonathan said Saturday.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, known as MEND, claimed responsibility for the attack in Abuja and said Saturday it had given the Nigerian government advance warning.

"The irresponsible attitude of the government security forces is to blame for the loss of lives," MEND said in a Saturday statement.

The group reported it had warned Nigerian security forces five days prior to the attack.

"The security forces were also warned one full hour to the first bomb blast ahead of the general alert sent to the media and told to steer the public from all parked cars which was not done," the statement continued.

The attack came as the West African country celebrated 50 years of independence.

The International Committee of the Red Cross appealed for blood donations to assist the wounded.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan later called the action a terror attack that was designed to "disrupt" the anniversary, said presidential spokesman Imo Niboro. But he said it had nothing to do with Niger Delta issues or MEND.

MEND, which represents militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta, is an umbrella organization of several rebel groups. It has been battling the government for years over fairer distribution of the country's oil wealth.

MEND said Henry Okah, who many say is an influential member of the group, had been harassed by authorities in South Africa, where he lives.

"Okah has never been involved in any MEND operations but has always been blamed for every attack which is strange to us," MEND's statement said.

"They (Nigerian security forces) were given 5 days prior notice (about the attack) which led to the harassment of Henry Okah on Thursday, September 30 in South Africa," the group said.
Nigeria ex-rebel leader Okah arrested after Abuja blast-----BBC
Ex-Mend leader Henry Okah, undated file photo Ex-Mend leader Henry Okah denied his faction carried out the Abuja bombings

A former leader of the Nigerian militant group Mend has been arrested in connection with two blasts on Friday in Abuja which killed 12 people.

Henry Okah was arrested in South Africa, said a spokeswoman for the Nigerian secret police, Marilyn Ogar.

However, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said "terrorists" and not Mend were responsible for the explosions.

The State Security Service confirmed it had been warned by foreign intelligence services that an attack was imminent.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), which says it is fighting for a fairer distribution of Nigeria's oil wealth, said it carried out the car bombings not far from the official celebrations.

President Jonathan, who is himself from the Niger Delta, did not elaborate on who he believed carried out Friday's bombings.

But Mr Okah, who leads a faction of Mend, told the BBC on Friday his group was not responsible.

The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says Mr Okah has barely been heard of outside Nigeria but within the country, he is notorious.

Mend signed an agreement with the government last year, in which former fighters were offered an amnesty and small amounts of cash in return for handing in their weapons.

Mr Okah, known as the gunrunner of Mend, is widely believed to lead a splinter group opposed to the amnesty, our correspondent says.

His friends expect him to be charged on Monday.

Mend sent a warning shortly before the blasts, saying "several explosive devices have been successfully planted in and around the venue by our operatives working inside the government security services".