Nigerian militant leader charged over car bombs on independence day

A Nigerian militant leader was charged in a South African court today over the deadly car bombs that marred the celebration of 50 years of independence on Friday. The twin attacks killed at least 10 people and injured 36 during festivities in the capital, Abuja . They were claimed by Nigeria's main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), which blames the government for the poverty in the oil-rich region. Prosecutors at a court in Johannesburg charged Henry Okah, a senior Mend figure who lives in South Africa, with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and the detonation of explosive devices in Abuja. His lawyer denied his involvement. "The accused is linked to the bombing that took place in Abuja," said Hein Louw, the magistrate overseeing the court proceeding.In an email to journalists an hour before the attack, Mend warned people to stay away from the celebrations at Eagle Square in Abuja. Five minutes after the first car exploded, a second bomb detonated, apparently targeting the police, firefighters and onlookers who had rushed to the scene. But Nigeria's president, Goodluck Jonathan, said in a statement yesterday that early investigations showed Mend leaders in Nigeria were unaware of any claims of responsibility. He said that unnamed "unpatriotic elements within the country", rather than the Delta-based militants, were responsible for financing the bombings. "It is a small terrorist group that resides outside Nigeria that was paid by some people within to perpetrate the dastardly act," Jonathan said. "We are on their trail and I promise Nigerians that the matter will be investigated to the last. Until everybody is brought to book, we will not rest." The statement appeared to conflict with the news of Okah's arrest in South Africa on Friday. Okah was granted amnesty in Nigeria last year after gun-running and treason charges against him were dropped. Okah's lawyer, Piet du Plessis, said Okaha denied any involvement in the attacks. Nigeria's secret service said today that it had made nine arrests in connection with the bombings. "They all have direct links with Henry Okah, the incident and some unscrupulous prominent elements in society," Nigerian State Security Service (SSS) spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar told a news conference in Abuja. She said the SSS had foiled a larger plot to detonate at least six car bombs in the "three-arm zone" made up of the presidential villa, parliament and the supreme court just days before last Friday's attacks. Mend has carried out numerous attacks in the Niger Delta, the country's main oil-producing region. But the unrest has been greatly reduced since the government offered an amnesty deal last year. Richard Moncrieff, West Africa project director for the International Crisis Group, described Friday's attack as "very bold". "Mend has always sought publicity through violence. But the target has almost always been the federal state. This was much more dramatic, and would have required a huge amount of planning."