UK condemns Abuja plaza bombing

Mr Mark Simmonds, who is the British Minister for Africa on Friday expressed UK government’s condemnation of Thursday’s bombing of a shopping mall in Abuja. This is contained in a statement issued by the Head of Press and Public Affairs of the British High Commission, Mr Robert Fitzpatrick.

The Minister restated his government’s support for the recent UN action against the Boko Haram insurgency.

“I am deeply concerned by Thursday’s bombing in Abuja, the third since April. We condemn all acts of terrorism in the strongest terms.
“Terrorism has brought untold misery to innocent Nigerians of all faiths and backgrounds. We will stand with the Nigerian authorities as they seek to bring the perpetrators of this appalling crime to justice."

“The listing today of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau and the terrorist organisation, Ansaru, at the UN demonstrates the commitment of the international community to stand by Nigeria,” the statement quoted Simmonds as saying..

It also restated the commitment of participants at the June 12 London Ministerial meeting on Security in Northern Nigeria to securing the UN listing of Boko Haram as a terrorist organization.

“The UK co-sponsored the listings, and is a sign of our commitment to defeating terrorism” the statement added.