Bomb blast hits Nigerian capital

A bomb exploded outside a nightclub popular with foreigners and wealthy Nigerians in the
capital Abuja late yesterday, but no one was injured. The Islamic sect Boko Haram has killed hundreds in bomb and gun attacks in its insurgency against the Nigerian government.

Its assaults usually focus on government and religious targets in the largely Muslim north but it has struck the capital several times, including a suicide bomb attack on a U.N. building last year that killed 24 people.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is urging Muslim and Christian leaders in Nigeria to redouble their efforts to contain what she says were dangerous manifestations of religious intolerance and inter-communal violence.

"Members of Boko Haram and other groups and entities, if judged to have committed widespread or systematic attacks against a civilian population – including on grounds such as religion or ethnicity – are likely to be found guilty of crimes against humanity,” said Rupert Colville, the spokesperson for the UN Office for Human Rights.

“We condemn the repeated attacks by Boko Haram on places of worship and on religious freedom, as well as its blatant attempts to stir sectarian tensions and violence between two communities that have lived together peacefully for so long,” he said. “We encourage local and national authorities to take effective measures to assist victims. We urge the authorities in Nigeria to take measures to curb inflammatory or hate-speech and to work with all stakeholders including civil society and religious leaders to help deal with this threat."

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