THE Duke of Gloucester and former British PM Gordon Brown had a lucky escape after pulling out of last Friday’s 50th anniversary parade in Nigeria.
It was targeted by bombs that killed at least 12 people, the British Foreign Office confirmed yesterday.
They were apparently warned to steer clear after a tip-off to British intelligence.
Two car-bombs detonated in the capital, Abuja, and a third, smaller, explosion was also reported. The incident has raised questions about how much the Nigerian authorities knew in advance of the attacks.
The British Foreign Office confirmed that it had “received indications of a heightened security risk” and took immediate action to update its travel advice after the group thought to be behind the attacks, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), issued a warning on Friday. Local media reported that British intelligence had warned the Nigerian government. It also emerged that South African police had raided the home of a senior Mend organiser in the early hours of Friday, at Nigeria’s request.
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