October 2010 Abuja bombings | |
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Part of the conflict in the Niger Delta | |
Location | Abuja, Nigeria |
Date | 1 October 2010 (GMT+1) |
Target | Crowds celebrating the 50th anniversary of Nigeria's independence |
Attack type | Car bombing |
Weapons | Car bombs |
Deaths | 12 |
Injured | 17 |
Perpetrator | Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta |
The October 2010 Abuja bombings, also referred to as the 2010 Nigeria Independence Day bombings, were two car bombings carried out against crowds celebrating the fiftieth anniversary (golden jubilee) of Nigeria's independence in the capital city Abuja on the morning of 1 October 2010. The attacks left 12 dead and 17 injured. According to multiple sources,[1][2] the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) issued a warning less than an hour before the first bomb stating the location, near Eagle Square (the venue of the celebration), and the time, around 10:30 a.m., of planned bombings.[3]
The first blast occurred around 10:30 a.m., emergency services arrived at the scene and then the second blast occurred.[2]