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Friday, October 1, 2010
As Nigerians celebrate their 50th Anniversary since independence, reports are circulating that two car bombs have gone off in the capital city of Abuja where an official ceremony was set to take place.
A report attributed to AP on a hosted site has it that one of its reporters saw three people lying injured in front of the federal high court, while another reporter said he heard a bomb go off just before a parade was about to get underway.
At this time celebrations are continuing in Abuja where President Goodluck Jonathan is still scheduled to make an appearance, according to Petroleum Africa’s Country Manager Emmanuel Emielu. From the ground it is reported that seven have died and two injured by the blasts, but police have not confirmed whether the car explosion or a bomb. In either case, the explosion was not directly adjacent to where the celebrations were to kick off. Just 30 minutes later, Emielu reports that there was an explosion with fatalities at the Abuja official headquarters of the Bayelsa State government. It is not possible to say at this time if the incident relates to Federal politics or not as the Bayelsa Governor and his recently impeached Deputy have been locked in a struggle of supremacy for sometime now.
Just a couple of hours before the bomb story broke, media outlets received the following statement from Jomo Gbomo, spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. The email statement in its entirety follows:
With due respect to all invited guests, dignitaries and attendees of the 50th independence anniversary of Nigeria being held today, Friday, October 1, 2010 at the Eagle Square Abuja, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is asking everyone to begin immediate evacuation of the entire area within the next 30 minutes. This warning expires after 10.30Hrs
Several explosive devices have been successfully planted in and around the venue by our operatives working inside the government security services.
In evacuating the area, keep a safe distance from vehicles and trash bins.
There is nothing worth celebrating after 50 years of failure. For 50 years, the people of the Niger Delta have had their land and resources stolen from them. The constitution before independence which offered resource control was mutilated by illegal military governments and this injustice is yet to be addressed.
Jomo Gbomo
Despite MEND’s negative diatribe and the fact that Nigeria continues to have its trials and tribulations, there is indeed cause for celebration while also much to work on for a brighter future.
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