Suicide Bomber Kills Three Christians At A Nigerian Church
Washington, D.C. (February 27, 2012) –A member of a radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, killed three Christians in a suicide bomb attack in Jos, Nigeria yesterday. The Islamist drove a car packed with explosives into the compound of a church, killing two women and a one-year-old child.
According to ICC sources, the bomber carried out the attacks at 7:20 a.m. local time, while Christians were worshipping at the headquarters of the Church of Christ (also known as the Cocin).
“I was at the gate and saw this blue car drive furiously at the gate. It is my responsibility to carry out a metal detector search at the gate, and I was waiting to do so when this man didn’t stop and drove his way into the gate. I watched him knock down a motor cycle and continue driving towards the church building, when all of a sudden there was a blast and some pieces of flying metal injured my arm,” John Zafian, the gate keeper and an eye witness said.
Following the attack, Christian youth took to the streets and killed two Muslims and burned down several Muslim-owned shops.
Boko Haram is a radical Muslim group that is fighting to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, where a strict form of Sharia law would be applied. According to the report by the Human Rights Watch, the group has killed 935 people since 2009.
Jonathan Racho, ICC Regional Manager for Africa, said, “The continuous killing of Christians and the lack of effective protection for innocents is driving Nigeria into chaos. We ask the Nigerian government to bring all Christian and Muslim perpetrators of violence to justice.”
Please call the Nigerian embassy in your country and ask Nigerian officials to protect Christians from the on-going attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Nigerian Embassies:
USA: (202) 986-8400
UK: 0207 839 1244
Canada: (613) 236-0521/3 Email: chancery@nigeriahcottawa.com
Germany: +49-(030) 21230 Email: info@nigeriaembassygermany.org