Bomb blast in Abuja, Nigeria killing 10

There has been another bomb blast in the central of Abuja, Nigeria. The UN headquarters was hit by a bomb blast this morning  killing 10 people according to local reports. Witnesses reported that a car drove towards the four storey building at about 10.00 this morning rammed into the front of the building after crashing through two security barriers. There was a loud explosion and smoke billowed from the building following today's powerful blast, which shattered all the glass in the building.

Our correspondent said there were bodies everywhere and hundreds were trapped, injured and bleeding.

The radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram has been held responsible for the attack. Reports say the sect formed in 2002, is fighting for Islamic rule in Nigeria. The sect is also believed to be responsible for a series of bombings including the police station explosions last June when policemen, bank staff and customers were killed and the attackers escaped with weapons and money. This violent activity has caused waves of terror among the people of northern part of Nigeria. Local residents say they live in fear because they are not sure whether each attack is carried out by Boko Haram or by armed robbers operating under cover.

Regional news operations also confirm that that Boko Haram is responsible because of its notoriety for attacking public buildings, police stations and banks in northern Nigeria to sustain its operations.  But many say this is a new twist.

Two years ago, Nigeria's security forces brutally suppressed an uprising by the sect, destroying its compound in Maiduguri - the capital of Borno state - and then capturing and killing its leader Mohammed Yusuf. Instead of disappearing, the group re-emerged last September and vowed to avenge its leader's death.

So far, more than 2000 people have been killed in the region. The Boko Haram is one of the several sects operating in Nigeria.

In June, Boko Haram said it had carried out an attack on the headquarters of the Nigerian police in Abuja, which killed at least six people. In response, the Nigerian security forces launched another crackdown on the group while President Goodluck Jonathan appointed a committee to look into opening negotiations with its leaders.

President Jonathan who was elected into power last April has faced mounting criticism over the way his administration has handled sects and the killings. Clearly, reports coming from Abuja claim that President Jonathan’s administration is struggling to contain and swat the violence.

 In an interview with AP in Nigeria earlier this month, General Carter Ham said “Boko Haram, responsible for assassinations and bombings across northern Nigeria may be trying to link with two al-Qaida-linked groups in other African countries to mount joint attacks in Nigeria.

Gen. Carter Ham also said that “multiple sources” indicate the Nigerian sect known as Boko Haram made contacts with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in northwest Africa, and with al-Shabab in Somalia.

 “I think it would be the most dangerous thing to happen not only to the Africans, but to us as well,” Carter said.

Ham said there is no specific intelligence suggesting the groups plan attacks against U.S. or Western interests in Nigeria, but the nation is a major supplier of crude oil to the U.S. and is an economic hub drawing foreigners from across the world.

Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri, told the BBC she had visited the building and seen "the shock on people's faces". "This is not an attack on Nigeria but on the global community," she said. "An attack on the world."

The building is the UN's main office in Nigeria, where all its agencies are based and security had been increased at all UN offices in Nigeria following the intelligence warning of further possible attacks.
 Latest reports indicate that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the bombing and they have told Nigerian security agents that the sect plans to bomb Lagos next.