Abuja, 26 August 2011
The United Nations House in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, home to 26 UN agencies and programmes, was struck by a car bomb 26 August 2011. A total of 23 people were killed. Eleven were UN staff, including one international staff member. More than 80 were wounded.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro speaking to the
press outside the national hospital in Abuja, on 28 August, after
visiting people injured in the attack. (UN Photo/AP/Rebecca Blackwell)
UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Four days after the attack, on 30 August 2011, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed the UN Security Council on the car bombing. "What we know is that this attack was the work of a suicide bomber who rammed a sport utility vehicle, at high speed, through the exit gates of the UN compound", he said, saluting the courage and dedication of the UN team in Abuja "for whom this is such a sad and terrible blow." Deputy-Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro went to Abuja immediately after the attack, and briefed UN Headquarters staff on her return. She said staff in Nigeria had expressed their outrage to her, and concern for their injured colleagues. She told the gathered New York staff "I share every ounce of their outrage".
The Fallen
Ms. Rahmat Abdullahi, Registry Clerk, UNDP Mr. Musa Ali, Zonal Logistics Assistant for the North-west Zone, WHO Mr. Johnson Awotunde, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Dr. Edward Dede, National Professional Officer, WHO Mr. Elisha Enaburekhan, Driver, UNAIDS Mr. Ahmed Abiodun Adewale Kareem, Shipping Assistant, UNICEF Ms. Ingrid Midtgaard, Associate Expert, UNODC Mr. Iliya David Musa, Receptionist, UN Common Services, UNDP Mrs. Felicia Nkwuokwu, Receptionist, UN Common Services, UNDP Mr. Stephen Obamoh, ERT Radio Operator/Driver, UNDP Mr. Abraham A. Osunsaya, Administrative Assistant, WHO
UNDP: United Nations Development Programme
WHO: World Health Organization
UNICEF: UN Children's Fund
UNAIDS: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UNODC: UN Office for Drugs and Crime