2011 Abuja United Nations bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Abuja bombing was a car bomb
explosion on Friday, 26 August 2011 in the Nigerian capital Abuja
's UN building that killed at least 21 and wounded 60. A spokesperson from the violent Islamist group Boko Haram
later claimed responsibility.
At about 11:00 WAT in the diplomatic zone in the centre of the city the car bomb vehicle broke through two security barriers. Then its driver detonated the bomb after crashing it into the UN reception area. The bomb caused devastation to the building's lower floors. The building is said to be the headquarters for about 400 UN employees but it is not clear how many were inside the building at the time of the attack.
A wing of the building collapsed and the ground floor of the building was badly damaged. Emergency services were quickly on the scene removing dead bodies from the building and rushing the wounded to hospital. Cranes have been brought to the blast site to move the mass of rubble and ensure that no-one is trapped there.
The blast killed at least 21 people and injured 73. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
, Viola Onwuliri, said: "This is not an attack on Nigeria but on the global community. An attack on the world." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
described the attack as an 'assault on those who devote themselves to helping others' The attack is the first suicide bombing in Nigeria to attack an international organization
.
In September 2011 the Nigerian Department of State Security alleged that Mamman Nur was the mastermind behind the attack and offered a ₦26 million ($
160,000) bounty. Also four men appeared in an Abuja magistrates' court charged with organising the bombing, and were remanded in custody to a federal high court hearing.
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
explosion on Friday, 26 August 2011 in the Nigerian capital Abuja
Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
's UN building that killed at least 21 and wounded 60. A spokesperson from the violent Islamist group Boko Haram
Boko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command...
later claimed responsibility.
At about 11:00 WAT in the diplomatic zone in the centre of the city the car bomb vehicle broke through two security barriers. Then its driver detonated the bomb after crashing it into the UN reception area. The bomb caused devastation to the building's lower floors. The building is said to be the headquarters for about 400 UN employees but it is not clear how many were inside the building at the time of the attack.
A wing of the building collapsed and the ground floor of the building was badly damaged. Emergency services were quickly on the scene removing dead bodies from the building and rushing the wounded to hospital. Cranes have been brought to the blast site to move the mass of rubble and ensure that no-one is trapped there.
The blast killed at least 21 people and injured 73. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs is a junior ministerial position in the British government.-Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs 1945-1968:*1945: William Mabane*1945-1946: Philip Noel-Baker*1946-1950: Hector McNeil*1950-1951: Kenneth Younger...
, Viola Onwuliri, said: "This is not an attack on Nigeria but on the global community. An attack on the world." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
described the attack as an 'assault on those who devote themselves to helping others' The attack is the first suicide bombing in Nigeria to attack an international organization
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...
.
In September 2011 the Nigerian Department of State Security alleged that Mamman Nur was the mastermind behind the attack and offered a ₦26 million ($
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
160,000) bounty. Also four men appeared in an Abuja magistrates' court charged with organising the bombing, and were remanded in custody to a federal high court hearing.
See also
- October 2010 Abuja attacks
- December 2010 Abuja attackDecember 2010 Abuja attackThe December 2010 Abuja attack was a bomb attack on a barracks on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria, on December 31, 2010. Four people were killed, including a pregnant woman, and 26 were injured; according to defense minister Adetokunbo Kayode, all of the dead were civilians, as were most of the...
- 2011 Abuja police headquarters bombing2011 Abuja police headquarters bombingThe 2011 Abuja police headquarters bombing was believed to be the first suicide bombing in Nigeria's history. The attack happened on June 16, 2011, when a suicide bomber drove a car bomb onto the premises of the Louis Edet House in Abuja, the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force...