Nigerian Muslims Blow up Two Churches, Killing Dozens on Christmas Day
JOS, Nigeria
—Multiple explosions in central Nigeria killed 32 people and six others died in attacks by Muslim sect members on two churches in the north, officials said Saturday. 
Police spokesman Mohammed Lerama said 32 people died and at least 74 were injured in four bomb blasts Friday night that went off in close succession in different parts of Jos in central Nigeria—a region violently divided between Christians and Muslims. Manasie Phampe, the Red Cross secretary in Jos, gave slightly different figures and said 52 people were injured. Some of the injured were in intensive care at the Jos University Teaching Hospital. "We have commenced investigations and are making efforts to calm people down," said Mr. Lerama. Religious violence has claimed more than 500 lives this year in Jos and neighboring towns and villages. Nigeria, a country of 150 million people, is almost evenly split between Muslims in the north and the predominantly Christian south. The blasts happened in central Nigeria, in the nation's "middle belt," where dozens of ethnic groups vie for control of fertile lands. The violence, though fractured across religious lines, often has more to do with local politics, economics and rights to grazing lands. The government of Plateau State, of which Jos is the capital, is controlled by Christian politicians who have blocked Muslims from being legally recognized as citizens. That has locked many out of prized government jobs in a region where the tourism industry and tin mining have collapsed in the last decades. "What has happened on the eve of Christmas is unfortunate, especially at this time when we want to ensure peace and security in the state," said Gregory Yenlong, the state commissioner for information. He said nobody had claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks in Jos. They were the first major attacks in Jos since the Plateau State government lifted a curfew on May 20. The curfew was first imposed in November 2008 during postelection violence, but it was extended in January following clashes between Christian and Muslim groups. More than 300 people—mostly Muslim—were killed in the January violence in Jos and surrounding villages. The curfew improved security in a city that has hosted numerous peace conferences to address the violence, but the killings continued outside Jos. Twelve people were murdered in March in a small Christian village, with attackers cutting out most of their victims' tongues, and there are still regular attacks outside Jos. Also Friday, six people died in attacks on two churches in Nigeria's northern region. Mohammed Abubakar, police chief of Borno state, said members of the Muslim sect Boko Haram attacked two churches at opposite ends of Maiduguri, the state capital, late Christmas Eve. Maiduguri is about 320 miles northeast of Jos. The attacks in the two cities haven't been linked, but Boko Haram was first based in the city of Bauchi, only 75 miles from Jos, before moving its operations to Maiduguri. Danjuma Akawu, secretary of Victory Baptist Church, said about 30 men attacked his church on Christmas Eve, killing five, including the pastor, two choir members rehearsing for a late-night carol service and two passersby who were attacked by the mob Mr. Akawu, who escaped with other witnesses after climbing the church fence, said that the mob was armed with guns, knives and petro-bombs. He said the attackers came in three cars and dragged the pastor out of his house within the church premises before shooting him. They drove off after setting fire to the church and pastor's house, which are close to the Maiduguri International Airport. At the opposite end of the city, Rev. Haskanda Jessu of Church of Christ in Nigeria said three men attacked his church an hour later, killing a 60-year-old security guard, Philip Sopso. The church was empty at the time of the attack. Rev. Jessu said the attackers were armed with rifles. The Borno State police chief said the attacks could have been prevented if police officers had heeded warnings of a planned attack. "The police divisions had enough vehicles to prevent these killings," Mr. Abubakar said. Police haven't made arrests in the church attacks, but have accused Boko Haram members in recent months of a rash of targeted killings of more than 30 people, including police officers, soldiers, political and spiritual leaders. Boko Haram means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language. Its members re-emerged recently after starting a July 2009 riot that led to a security crackdown that left 700 people dead. The Christmas Eve killings in Jos and Maiduguri add to the tally of thousands who already have perished in Africa's most populous country in the last decade amid religious and political friction.
—Multiple explosions in central Nigeria killed 32 people and six others died in attacks by Muslim sect members on two churches in the north, officials said Saturday.
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