Bombs, Insurgents, and Nigeria's Golden Jubilee

Bombs, Insurgents, and Nigeria's Golden Jubilee

Source: Open Society Institute (OSI)

Date: 28 Oct 2010

by Ike Okonta

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) arrived at the very center of Nigeria's turbulent politics when two bombs exploded in a public square in Abuja, the nation's capital, on October 1. The explosions killed 13 people outright and marred the lavish celebrations President Goodluck Jonathan had put on that afternoon to mark Nigeria's independence golden jubilee.

In the weeks since the bombings, supporters of President Jonathan and his various antagonists, including former military dictator Ibrahim Babangida, have traded accusations about who was really behind the attacks. Though MEND has claimed responsibility, the crisis unleashed by the bombings has given rivals an irresistible opportunity to tar their adversaries with the taint of complicity. But no matter which faction secures political advantage from the current turmoil, the bombings and the still ongoing verbal swordplay have a deeper history, predating independence.