Nigeria: Boko Haram blamed For Maiduguri Bombings
ICC Note
Boko Haram is known for targeting Christians and government officials in northern Nigeria. The group says “We will never accept any system of governance apart from the one described by Islam because that is the only way Muslims can be liberated.”
04/25/2011 Nigeria (BBC News)-Four bombs have exploded in Maiduguri in north-eastern Nigeria, killing at least three people.
Two blasts went off at a hotel and one at a transport hub on Sunday night. There was a fourth blast at a cattle market on Monday morning.
Similar attacks have been blamed on the Islamist Boko Haram sect which has been battling security services in the city.
The latest bombings come ahead of polls on Tuesday for the governors of Nigeria’s 36 states.
Unrest swept across Nigeria’s north following a presidential election on 16 April, which was won by incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner. Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed and tens of thousands fled their homes.
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Police say three people died from the explosions at the Tudu Palace hotel and eight people have been wounded; details from the motor park blast are not yet known.
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On Sunday, a three-page statement from Boko Haram, a group which is opposed to Western education and wants to see Islamic law imposed across Nigeria, was left outside of a newspaper office in the city warning of further attacks, our correspondent says.
“We will never accept any system of governance apart from the one described by Islam because that is the only way Muslims can be liberated,” it said.
“We do not respect the Nigerian government because it is illegal. We will continue to fight its military and police because they are not protecting Islam.”
There were two explosions in Maiduguri ahead of presidential polls, although no injuries were reported at the time.
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But our reporter says the latest bombings come as a surprise, as security is tight in the city because of the elections for governor.
“From all indications, this is the handiwork of Boko Haram, which has carried out similar attacks in the past,” police spokesman Mai Mamm told AFP news agency.
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For the past six months, sect members have been fighting a guerrilla war, killing policemen and people they believe helped the security services in the fight against them
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