This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

201702Z Apr 06

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