UN building bombing in Abuja

On August 26, 2011, a car bomb exploded at the United Nations headquarters in Abuja, killing 23 people and injuring over 80 others. The attack occurred during the morning hours when the building was occupied by international staff and Nigerian employees. The bomber drove a vehicle laden with explosives through the security barriers and detonated it near the main building. This marked the first major attack on an international organization's facility in Nigeria's capital.

The bombing was carried out by Boko Haram, the militant Islamist group that had been escalating its insurgency in northern Nigeria since 2009. The group had previously focused its attacks on Nigerian government targets, security forces, and Christian communities, but this represented a significant expansion to international targets. The attack came during a period when Boko Haram was intensifying its campaign following the killing of its founder Mohammed Yusuf in police custody in 2009, and amid growing frustration with poverty and governance issues in northern Nigeria.