Armed Islamist militant group Boko Haram
struck again late morning on 26 April, detonating explosives at the offices of
This Day newspaper in Abuja and Kaduna, killing at least six
people. A smaller explosion occurred in Kaduna later that afternoon at
the junction of a major highway.
A source in contact with the group claims that This Day was
targeted because it was considered a mouthpiece of the government. The
editor, Ndukka Ogbaigbena, is known to be close to President
Goodluck Jonathan and former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
This Day is a controversial voice in the predominantly
Muslim North. An article proposing that the Prophet Mohammed might wish
to have married a beauty queen prompted serious sectarian violence in
Kaduna at the time of the Miss World contest held in Nigeria
in 2002. Moreover, journalists have been among Boko Haram's victims. In October 2011, the group killed a reporter for state-run television,
accusing him of being an informant. In January this year, a
correspondent for Channels TV was gunned down and killed when
reporting on Boko Haram bombings in Kano.
According to media reports, witnesses claim that at least one
of the attacks (in Abuja) was carried out by a suicide bomber. This was
confirmed in a statement from the State Security Service. However, a
spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency earlier
stated that the explosion appeared to have occurred within the
building. A man suspected of involvement in the main Kaduna blast has reportedly been arrested.
For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.
© 2012 Menas Associates
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