By Jide Ajani & OKEY NDIRIBE
ABUJA: The Department of State Service, DSS, yesterday paraded two alleged accomplices who worked in concert with one Mamman Nur, who has been declared wanted by the Service to carry out last Friday’s suicide bomb attack on the United Nation’s House in Abuja which claimed 23 lives.

The alleged accomplices —Babagana Ismail Kwaljima a.k.a Abu Summaya and Babagana Mali a.k.a Bulama who were linked to the wanted Mamman Nur were arrested in an earlier operation aimed at averting the bomb attack.

In a statement released yesterday by the DSS, and signed by its Assistant Director, Public relations, Marilyn Ogar, the department described Mamman Nur as “a notorious Boko Haram element with Al-Qaeda links who returned recently from Somalia, working in concert with the two (2) suspects masterminded the attack on the United Nations (UN) building in Abuja”.

The statement read:

“Owing to various speculations and misrepresentations in the media arising from the bomb attack on the United Nations (UN) building on 26th August, 2011 in Abuja, the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of other security agencies wishes to state as follows: On 18th August, 2011, precise intelligence was obtained by this Service that some Boko Haram elements were on a mission to attack unspecified targets in Abuja in an ash-coloured Toyota Camry vehicle with registration number AA539GBL

UN house blast suspects paraded by Dept. of State Services Babagana Kwaljima and Babagana Mali

“On 21st August, 2011 about 1300 hours a joint operations by all security services led to the arrest of two (2) notorious leaders of the Boko Haram extremists sect, namely; Babagana Ismail KWALJIMA (a.k.a Abu SUMMAYA); and Babagana MALI (a.k.a Bulama).

“Following their arrests, security was further beefed up in Abuja and its environs. Meanwhile the suspects have made valuable statements and are being held at a military facility.

“Investigation has revealed that one Mamman Nur, a notorious Boko Haram element with Al-Qaeda links who returned recently from Somalia, working in concert with the two (2) suspects masterminded the attack on the United Nations (UN) building in Abuja.

“Further investigation has also revealed that the car used for the attack was a Honda car with Kano State registration number AV38NSR. It was purchased on 3rd September, 2002 and registered on 3rd December, 2002. The vehicle identification number is 1HGCBA7400A100748, Engine number, F22A72000540.

“The security services wish to reiterate their commitments to ensuring that we have a safe, peaceful and secure environment. We want to reassure Nigerians that we have no other country and we must all strive to maintain its unity which is currently being threatened.

“We implore all Nigerians to be more security conscious and vigilant, while urging the general public to cooperate with security agencies by providing useful information that could lead to the arrest of Mamman Nur who is hereby declared wanted. Any person with useful information which could lead to the arrest of the suspect and other accomplices should report to the nearest Police station, military formations or any other security agency”.

Nigeria’s ICC candidate demands justice

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s candidate for the International Criminal Court (ICC) judge elections, Mr Chile Eboe-Osuji has said that those who were responsible for the bomb attack on the UN building in Abuja should be brought to justice.

“The most apparent legal implication of the incident is that justice must be done,” Eboe-Osuji said in written comments made available to the New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York.

He said: “A heinous crime was committed on Nigerian territory. It is critical that the perpetrators do not enjoy impunity. The victims deserve that the perpetrators are fully brought to account for their deed. Nigerians want to know that they are effectively protected by the law against these kinds of terrorising crimes.”

He added that in international law, countries whose citizens were injured in the attack would have jurisdiction to prosecute the perpetrators.

African labour group condemns attack

The Africa Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has also condemned last Friday’s bombing of the United Nations House in Abuja.

A statement signed by the General Secretary of the organisation Comrade Kwasi Adu-Amankwah yesterday said, “the recent act of terrorism last Friday perpetrated by a suspected local terrorist group is gravely appalling, inhuman and cowardly. Human life is a sacred and a valuable asset that cannot be tampered with by any person, people or groups no matter what grievances they bear.

To cause the lives of fellow human beings to be destroyed in callous circumstances such as the reported explosion is most reprehensible, unacceptable, and extremely condemnable.”

According to the continental labour organization which represents 16 million workers in 47 African countries “this is clearly not a good strategy to draw attention to any grievance or a means to settle dispute.We ask that the government finds more effective and imaginative ways to address the concerns of various militant groups and a prudent and effective way to deal with them”

The organization also called for increase in security consciousness and alertness and further advised that citizens and residents should be on their guard.

According to the statement: “ We stand in solidarity with the Nigerian State and people at this difficult time and pray that the means to address and curb such inhuman acts will be found to avoid a recurrence in the future”.