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Update: Nigeria blast ripples through Twitter

People worldwide are talking about an apparent bombing of a United Nations building in Abuja, Nigeria.

 

Fernando Alfonso III

IRL

Posted on Aug 26, 2011   Updated on Jun 3, 2021, 3:08 am CDT

A deadly attack at a United Nations building in Nigeria has left at least 16 people dead and more than 10 injured, according to the Associated Press.

The Twitter hashtags #abuja and #nigeria were top trending topics Friday after a sedan reportedly broke through exit of the U.N. compound near the Nigerian capital of Abuja, crashed into the buildings main entrance and detonated a bomb inside the car.

Some of the injured were taken to the National Hospital in Abuja where Luke Skylolo has been tweeting as events unfold. Skylolo claimed he was at the hospital with a friend who was in an unrelated accident when he heard the explosion at the UN building.

Skylolo has agreed to answer questions for the Daily Dot, and we’ll update this story with his responses.

Here is our update:

Skylolo, 27, has taken some time to reflect on the explosion after spending hours at Nigeria’s National Hospital watching victim after victim arriving.

“Doesn’t make sense at all, I’m just appalled. I pray the government does something quick to curb the scourge,” Skylolo wrote in a private Twitter message to the Daily Dot. “Whoever is responsible for this should remember that they’re only hurting innocent people and one day their loved ones will be hurt too.

Skylolo said he was at the hospital Friday to donate blood for a friend who was involved in an accident the night before. While there, he heard the explosions at the United Nations building located about a thousand yards away.

He said he saw 10 people brought to the hospital with injuries, including one police officer with a head wound and a man with severe burns, Skylolo said.

Skylolo is currently on his way to Lagos, a conurbation of Nigeria, where he works for Laptops for Learning, a non-governmental organization, he said.

Photo by @SheriphSkills

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*First Published: Aug 26, 2011, 12:50 pm CDT