2 bombers target mobile phone firms in Nigeria

KANO, Nigeria (AP) ? Authorities blame a radical Islamist sect for twin suicide bombings on Saturday that targeted two major mobile phone operators, threatening communications in Nigeria's northern commercial hub, a military spokesman said.

Two bombers separately drove explosive-laden cars into the facilities of the Nigerian subsidiaries of South Africa-based MTN Group Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd. of India at about 8 a.m. in the city of Kano, said Capt. Iweha Ikedichi, who speaks for a special taskforce deployed in Kano to reduce the threat of the Islamic rebels known as Boko Haram.

The bombers both died in the attacks and a civilian was injured, Ikedichi said. The Airtel bomber rammed through the gate, detonating a bomb which injured an Airtel worker, Ikedichi said. The facility is located in a high-security area, less than 100 meters from the Nigerian central bank's regional office.

Some Airtel users said that they cannot make calls, suggesting that the attack may have affected the company's switch station. An Airtel spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

About 2 miles (3 kilometers) away, the MTN bomber was stopped from entering the company's premises by security officers who shot him at the gate, causing an explosion there, Ikedichi said.

The target was MTN's switch station in Kano, said the company's spokeswoman Funmilayo Omogbenigun. Switch stations control the regional mobile phone network and if they are seriously damaged, the entire network could go down.

Authorities suspect the Boko Haram sect for the attacks, said Ikedichi. The group is held responsible for more than 770 deaths this year alone, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press. Boko Haram's campaign of bombings and shootings has targeted mosques, churches, schools, universities and government buildings. In September, the group broadened its scope by attacking mobile phone towers for the first time.

In September, a series of attacks damaged more than 31 towers operated by all the major mobile phone providers in the country. Other attacks have occurred since then, further straining the one link Nigeria relies on for communication in a country with very few landlines. While no one claimed responsibility for the attacks, the Islamist sect had threatened mobile phone companies earlier in the year, warning that they would be targeted for cooperating with the government to flush out its members.

In Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with more than 160 million people, mobile phones serve as a valuable lifeline in both cities and rural communities. Landlines remain almost nonexistent, as the state-run telephone company has collapsed and repeated efforts to privatize it have failed. More 87 million mobile phone lines were in use in 2009, according to estimates.

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Associated Press writer Yinka Ibukun contributed to this report from Lagos, Nigeria

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-bombers-target-mobile-phone-firms-nigeria-130917111.html

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