UN blast death toll rises to 23

The death toll has risen to 23, two days after a car bombing at the United Nations’ Nigeria headquarters, a UN spokesman said.

Martin Dawes also revealed that 81 people were wounded in Friday’s attack.

UN security chief Gregory Starr said there was no advance warning of the attack and that the UN had only received “general threats”.

A spokesman for the radical Muslim sect that claimed responsibility has promised further attacks.

It was the first suicide attack targeting foreigners by Boko Haram, a group which is reportedly linked to al-Qaida and wants to implement a strict version of Shariah law in the nation and is vehemently opposed to western education and culture.

After the attack, Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan vowed to bring terrorism in Africa’s most populous nation “under control”.