Nigeria's celebrations disrupted by bombs

According to the latest reports from our sources in Nigeria, at least eight people have been killed in an explosion in the country's capital Abuja. Nigerian police have confirmed that the explosion was caused by car bombs outside the Justice Ministry.

Earlier in the day, militant group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) had issued a threat to target Nigeria's celebrations marking 50 years since independence from the UK.

In the message, Mend, who is demanding a fairer distribution of the country's oil revenues, said there was "nothing worth celebrating after 50 years of failure".

President Goodluck Jonathan, who was inspecting a guard of honour at the time, called the attack a "wicked act of desperation by criminals and murderers".

Most of Mend's leaders are observing a ceasefire and have already disassociated themselves from the attack, but a small faction within the group is discontented with the government's handling of an amnesty process in the Niger Delta. It is believed that this faction is behind the attack.

The two bombs went off about five minutes apart. Police said the bombs appeared timed to do most damage to those who responded to the first blast.

"There were more casualties at the second explosion because the first explosion drew crowds to the scene, which is close to the second explosion," said an unnamed intelligence officer.

President Jonathan is himself from the Niger Delta region and according to one senior rebel leader he is be the best person to solve the crisis in the Delta, as he understands its problems.

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Kidnapped children released unharmed but kidnappings in the region are on the rise

Throughout the week there has been a huge public outcry about the kidnapping of 15 schoolchildren from Nigeria's south-eastern town of Aba. President Jonathan took charge, directing the new Inspector General of Police Hafiz Ringim and the heads of all other security agencies to collaborate in order to secure the immediate release of the children, condemning the kidnapping as “utterly callous and cruel”.

Fortunately, there was a happy ending to the story and on Friday 1st October, the children were rescued from a forest hideout in Ogwe-Asa by the security services. Police Commissioner Jonathan Johnson said that no arrests had been made and he was not aware that any ransom money had been paid. The children are in police custody and will be returned to their parents later today.

Around 5,000 extra soldiers have been deployed to the area to prevent the kidnappers from escaping and there are roadblocks in Aba city centre with many shops and businesses - which had shut down following the abduction fearing further attacks – remaining closed.

Kidnapping incidents in Abia State have risen sharply and the past few months have seen the targets shift from expatriates and wealthy public figures and their families, to ordinary citizens. Increased and improved security for the former has compelled kidnappers to resort to abducting ordinary middle class Nigerians who do not have such access to well-armed private security.

Until recently, kidnapping was largely confined to the Niger Delta militants who abducted expatriates as part of their campaign against the perceived injustice meted out by the government and the IOCs to indigent Niger Delta communities. Now, however, criminals in other parts of Nigeria have since largely abandoned armed robbery, which was the most prevalent criminal activity, and have taken to kidnapping instead, after observing the Niger Delta militants' success in obtaining more money from a single kidnapping incident than several robberies.

Abia State's Governor Theodore Orji has said that he is at his wits' end and at a loss as to how to stop the growing menace of kidnapping, especially because his offer of unconditional amnesty to stop their criminal activities yielded no results and has now been withdrawn. The Federal Government may soon have to declare a state of emergency in Abia State - especially in view of the forthcoming elections. It is currently unlikely that elections can be held there if the kidnappings go unchecked, because both politicians and the electorate are afraid of the menace of kidnappers and, therefore, there has been little or no election campaign activity in the State.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates

Nigeria: Four kidnapped journalists released unharmed

The Nigerian National Union of Journalists (NUJ) reported on 18th July that four local journalists who were kidnapped in Abia State one week earlier had been released unharmed. According to Assistant Commissioner Emmanuel Ojukwu, four suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the kidnapping. The NUJ reports that no ransom was paid.

The kidnapping of journalists in south-eastern Nigeria – of which this is the second incident in 2010 – has attracted greater media scrutiny than the escalation of criminally-motivated kidnapping outside the core Niger Delta states (Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers).

Abia State and neighbouring Akwa Ibom State have been especially affected by the displacement of former militants from the core Niger Delta area since 2009 and their subsequent engagement in criminal kidnappings and armed robberies in neighbouring areas.

The high profile of these kidnappings - and clear expressions of the government’s outrage – may have contributed to a more effective police effort to recover the hostages and the relatively swift release of the journalists.

However, the capabilities of local police forces in Abia and Akwa Ibom States remain limited and are unlikely to be sufficient to produce a sustainable reduction in kidnapping risks in the short-term.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates

Niger Delta leaders pose security threat to Ghana

The Nigerian High Commissioner in Ghana, H.E. Musiliu O. Obanikro, has described the leaders of the Niger Delta community as a serious security risk to both countries and prompted official law enforcement agencies to monitor the actions of the group more closely.

“Their movements and activities should interest our various security agencies before irreparable harm is done to the good relations between Nigeria and Ghana”, said Obanikro.

Addressing members of the press during a news conference in Accra, about the sudden influx of militants from the Niger Delta region, the High Commissioner described the leaders of the community as iniquitous and “unpatriotic Nigerians” residing in Ghana with no “identifiable means of livelihood”.

The Commissioner urged Ghanaian law enforcement to ensure the group does not engage in criminal activity or form gangs. And in talking about the recent arrival of 3, 000Niger Delta militants he added that, "Ghana should not be used as safe haven," any longer as the crisis period in Nigeria was now over.

The Commissioner also appealed to the media to be more judicious in their reportage and desist from publishing news items from “nonentities, noise makers, blackmailers and nonchalant [people] in the interest of national security and the greater need of the society”.

He incited Nigerians living in Ghana to be peaceable, law abiding, and safeguard the good name of Nigeria, and the cordial relations between the two countries.

Sources: Ghana Web

For more news and expert analysis about Ghana please see Ghana Politics & Security.