4 Killed in Blast in Nigerian Capital
By VOA
Security officials in Nigeria are looking for those responsible for a New Year’s Eve blast that killed at least four people in the capital. Nigeria’s president is blaming a radical Muslim group that claimed responsibility for a Christmas Eve bombing.
Defense Minister Adetokunbo Kayode says a thorough investigation is underway to determine who planted the bomb in a crowded market near a military barracks in Abuja. He says the attackers will be tracked down and will be made to face the full wrath of the law for the blast that also injured more than 20 people.
All of the dead and most of those injured are civilians.
President Goodluck Jonathan says the attack is a new and dangerous challenge to Nigerian peace and stability as the country prepares for nationwide elections in April.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the president believes it is the work of the militant Boko Haram group that set off a Christmas Eve bomb in the northern city of Jos that killed 80 people.
In a written statement, President Jonathan said the group, basking in what he called their nefarious success in Jos on Christmas Eve, once again knifed at the heartstrings of a nation celebrating New Year’s Eve with this evil and wicked attack.
The blasts follow an Independence Day bombing in Abuja in October that killed 12 people. Several people were injured Wednesday by two blasts at a political rally in southern Nigeria.
Air Marshal Oluseyi Petiri told state television that Nigerians must be vigilant in the face of the bombings. He said people should not allow anyone to leave a bag or any other kind of object unattended.
