A FORMER leader of a militant group has been arrested in South Africa in connection with last week's deadly car bombings in Nigeria that claimed the lives of 12 people, a Nigerian secret police spokeswoman has said.
Henry Okah, an ex-leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), which has claimed responsibility for two of the three bombings, was taken into custody last Thursday.
However, it is not clear whether Okah has been charged with an offence.
The confirmation of his arrest has come as Nigeria's state security services acknowledged they received a warning about an attack on the 50th anniversary of the West African country's independence long before it occurred on Friday in Abuja.
Despite the advance warning, the Nigerian authorities were unable to prevent the attacks from occurring close to a celebration attended by state dignitaries including the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
"Unfortunately, there's no way security can be 100 per cent fool proof," said state security service spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar before adding "We are happy all the same that the event went on smoothly and it wasn't interrupted."
Mend has carried out kidnappings, bombings and fought government troops in the Niger Delta since 2006. The group has said the bombings were an attempt to "draw attention to the plight of the people of the Niger Delta".
In a statement released on Saturday night Mend said it "deeply regrets the avoidable loss of lives . . .Okah has never been involved in any Mend operations but has always been blamed for every attack which is strange to us".
The group blames Nigeria's government for doing nothing to end the unceasing poverty in the oil-rich delta.