Just as Jos, the capital of Nigeria’s north central Plateau State was beginning to recover from a suicide bomb attack on the Church of Christ in Nigeria, COCIN, last month, Boko Haram Islamic militants again struck on Sunday March 11, 2012, leaving about 11 people dead, including the two suspected suicide bombers.
THISDAY newspaper reported that the attackers struck at St Finbarr’s Catholic Church in the Rayfield neighbourhood at 10.45 when the second mass had just begun. Incidentally, Plateau State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Pauline Tallen normally worships in the church while Governor Jonah Jang worships at COCIN. Mrs. Tallen was however not injured in the attack.
An eye witness, Emmanuel Audu, described the impact of the blast as ‘damaging,’ adding that at least 15 injured people were rushed to nearby hospitals. The bombers reportedly drove in a Volkswagen Jetta car, led by two motor cyclists but were stopped at the gate for a check by Boy Scouts and security men. They refused to open the booth of the car and it was while they were still arguing that the bomb went off, killing the Boy Scouts, security men and bombers themselves.
The Catholic Archbishop of Jos Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, said the church was shocked at the level of persecution it was currently going through, but added that it would not be deterred by it. Governor Jang visited the scene and appealed for restraint and vigilance. President Goodluck Jonathan also condemned the bombing, calling for an end to the reprisals that followed the attack, leaving a number of deaths, the Nigerian Tribune said.
In a related development, over 5,000 school children in northern Nigeria are now at home after Boko Haram Islamic militants destroyed their schools in their campaign to impose Islamic Sharia law in the country. The Nation newspaper citing a Human Rights Watch, HRW, report released last week, said since the beginning of 2012, at least 12 schools have been destroyed in the city of Maiduguri, capital of the north eastern Borno State, the heartland of the insurgency. The report warns that attacks may also force neighbouring schools to close or parents to keep their children at home.
