By William Tucker
Chief Correspondent for In Homeland Security
A large explosion during the morning commute killed 71 people at a busy bus station in the Nigerian capital of Abuja today. Security services initially though that the attack was comprised of two explosions, however a four foot blast seat was later found and we now know it was a single, large improvised explosive device that caused the devastation. The Secondary explosions noted by eyewitnesses were ultimately attributed to the detonation of vehicle fuel tanks. The blast was large enough that it destroyed over 30 vehicles and caused substantial property damage. The busy bus station was a prime location for an attack. Though there hasn’t yet been a claim of responsibility, Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan stated that the notorious militant organization Boko Harem was responsible for the attack. This statement contradicts earlier claims by the government that Boko Harem attacks have been isolated to the north-east corner of the country. Indeed, it has been two years since Boko Harem successfully executed an attack in Abuja, but the scale of bloodshed in the north-east has not abated despite large scale military operations to suppress the militant group. In fact, Boko Harem attacked a village in the north-east killing an estimated 60 people, and attacks last week killed over 130. Despite claims of success by the Nigerian military, these massacres in the north-east and today’s attack on Abuja show that Boko Harem is as capable as ever in causing mayhem.
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