Nigerian blast won't stop Edmonton man's UN work

An Edmonton man who was supposed to be at a United Nations building in Nigeria that was blown up Friday by a suicide bomber said he's determined to go back to carry on his work.

Zab Vilayil was in Nigeria as recently as May, part of a team working on a peace plan at the UN's main building in Abuja, the capital.

On Friday, a car loaded with explosiveswas driven into the four-storey building, setting off a massive blast that killed at least 18 people and injured at least 60.

'It was extremely shocking because, I mean, the United Nations is sort of the referee trying to bring both sides together' Zab Vilayil

A radical Muslim sect, reportedly linked to al Qaeda and blamed for a series of attacks in the country, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Friction between Nigeria's the mainly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south, where most of the country's oil wealth is, has intensified in the wake of presidential elections in April.

Vilayil said he's been trying to find out if his workmates are OK.

"It was extremely shocking when I heard it because, I mean, the United Nations is sort of the referee trying to bring both sides together," he said. "All the colleagues that are there just completely devoted to peace and bringing sides together and having Nigeria a peaceful nation again. It's just shocking for me."

The explosion won't stop him from going back, Vilayil said. If anything, he's more determined to return to Nigeria to continue his work for peace. He was supposed to be there now, working at the UN building, but his return trip was delayed for various logistical reasons.

"My personal will to go there is, if anything, it's a little bit of a stronger resolve right now," he said.