Abuja Twitterers chronicle #Nigeriaat50 bomb explosions

Stanley's 113 characters, typed in an instant of unsuspecting prescience, were among hundreds of tweets that captured the transition as the solemn, historic day turned bloody and chaotic.

Things started off slowly. Early Saturday, Tomi Oladipo, a BBC correspondent watching a live television feed from the commercial city of Lagos, pointed out dignitaries in the VIP stand. ("[Cameroonian First Lady] Chantal Biya's hair is unmistakable")

Another Twitterer, @diddykb24, grumbled about its pomp: "9billion naira spent on the eagle square parade...no light in my house for 3 days?? :s."

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