MILITANTS DETONATE VBIED AT NIGERIAN ARMY BARRACKS

S E C R E T ABUJA 000874 SIPDIS RELEASABLE TO CAN, UK, AUS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2031 TAGS: PTER ENRG MOPS NI MILITANTS SUBJECT: MILITANTS DETONATE VBIED AT NIGERIAN ARMY BARRACKS Classified By: Political Counselor Russell J Hanks for Reasons 1.4 (d a nd e) ¶1. (U) The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND),the militant group responsible for the recent rash of kidnappings and violence in the Niger Delta, claimed credit for the detonation of a VBIED at Camp Bori, a Nigerian Army base in Port Harcourt, the evening of April 19. While other types of bombings have taken place episodically over the last several years, this likely signifies the first use of a VBIED in the Delta, or anywhere else in Nigeria. Both local and international press reported the attack, claiming anywhere from 1 to 3 fatalities. ¶2. (S/REL CAN UK AUS) Until late in the afternoon on April 20, the Nigerian DIA had no details on the attack when approached by the DATT, whether this reflected poor internal communication in the military or deliberate obstruction is unclear. Once NDIA did confirm the attack, they claimed that the explosion did not actually occur on the base, but only in the vicinity. A senior officer in the Chief of Army Staff's office, who seemed quite angered by the nature of the bombing, confirmed the attack on the base to PolMilOff. This officer claimed one military fatality, one civilian fatality, and four serious injuries. He went on to say that the area the explosion occurred in has been cordoned off by the Army and that a request for US assistance in the investigation may be forthcoming. ¶3. (S/REL CAN UK AUS) MEND shared with an established international journalist that they were responsible for this act. The journalist received the message by email from an address he customarily receives messages from MEND from. MEND claimed to have detonated 30 kilograms of TNT in a 1980 Mercedes Benz using a cell phone to initiate. MEND claimed to be experimenting with other varieties of IEDs and plans to deploy them against military patrols in the future. ¶4. (U) Camp Bori (also known as Zamani Lekwot Military Cantonment),the Headquarters of the Nigerian Army's 2nd Division, sits between central Port Harcourt and the airport and a road running through the base serves as an unofficial shortcut to the airport. This allows the public easy access to the base and presents a relatively soft target to would be attackers. CAMPBELL