On the 50th anniversary of independence in Nigeria, eight people were killed in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja by two car bombs. The attacks were performed by the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta which is a major militant group in Nigeria. Early this morning the group issued warnings to journalists to steer clear of Eagle Square in downtown Abuja were anniversary festivities were scheduled to take place. The militants issued a statement following the attacks as to why they decided to attack innocent civilians. In their statement, they blamed the Nigerian government for doing little to end poverty in the delta region as the country receives billions of dollars each year from oil exports.
Only ten minutes away from President Goodluck Jonathan’s main offices, the car bombings were believed to be designed to lure first responders and then kill them with a second blast. According to a Nigerian Red Cross spokesman, 38 people were transported to an area hospital.
These attacks have countries around the world questioning the political stability and control of one of the world’s largest crude oil exporters. United States State Department spokesman P.J Crowley told the media that these attacks, “affirm the importance of Nigeria’s upcoming election. “
Since 2006, this militant group has destroyed oil pipelines, killed oil company workers, and fought government troops. Violence from the group had significantly decreased last year after an amnesty bill provided cash for weapons and promised job training. However, violence has been on the rise again as the government has failed to fulfill aspects of the bill.
In my opinion, these attacks along with a recent history of similar events have shown that the Nigerian government cannot control the people it governs. I believe that it is a possibility in the near future for a revolution against the government to take place. The upcoming elections will have a major impact as to what will happen to the Nigerian government in the coming months.
Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report.
