Christians targeted in Nigeria violence, at least 14 killed
Gunmen shot dead three Christians near city of Jos in central Nigeria, a day after 11 people were killed in a suicide bombing and related violence at a catholic church, an official said Monday.
The unknown gunmen struck late Sunday in Chugwi village south of the Jos city, a fault-line in Nigeria's Muslim-Christian divide between north and south was tense in the aftermath of the bomb attack, state government spokesman Pam Ayuba
"The gunmen, in an apparent ambush late Sunday, waylaid and shot dead three people and injured three others, all Christians," Ayuba said
Terror attacks have been on the rise in Nigeria for last several months.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned Sunday's bomb attack outside a Catholic church in Jos in which at least 11 people died when a suicide bomber struck killing seven people and in the reprisal attack four more were shot by security forces.
Reiterating his government's determination "to end the spate of mindless attacks and killings", Jonathan urged people "to remain patient and refrain from taking matters into their own hands through actions such as reprisal attacks, as government continues to take the battle to the merchants of terror and close in on their locations, funding and sponsors".
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.
Worshippers were filing out from Sunday mass in St. Finbar's Catholic church when the suicide bomber crashed his bomb-laden car into the gate, killing seven people, Plateau State government spokesman Pam Ayuba said.
The casualty would have been higher if the bomber had been able to get closer to the church in his explosive laden car, but was prevented from doing so by the security guards at the church entrance.
In the panic and melee following the explosion, four men were then shot dead by security forces as it tried to control the crowd, which had gathered after the blast.
Rescue workers said that the bomb attack left 11 people dead, while Red Cross rescuers confirmed that 22 were injured and rushed to various hospitals.
Emergency agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib said several others are reported to be in a critical condition.
It was the second suicide attack on a church in Jos city in a fortnight. On February 26, three people were killed and dozens injured in an attack claimed by Islamist sect Boko Haram.
"There are rumours of reprisals from Christian youths, but we hope the security agents are on top of the situation as they have cordoned off the area," said Alhassan Danjuma Aliyu of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The worst recent attack on a Catholic church in last few months was on December 25, when 44 people were killed during a Christmas mass in a town outside the capital Abuja.
"Bomb blasts are becoming a weekly occurrence in Nigeria and people in the affected states are feeling increasingly vulnerable," said Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege, reporting from Lagos.
Ndege claims that the bombings have the hallmark of Boko Haram, though no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Since 2009, violence blamed on Boko Haram has claimed more than 1,000 lives, including over 300 this year, according to figures tallied by the AFP news agency and rights groups.
Source:The Africa News.Net
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