Nigeria: Church attack toll by Boko Haram rises to 21

“The Boko Haram group’s intention in bombing the churches is to attract repris­al attacks from the Christians, draw the battle line between Muslim and Christi­ans and, by doing so get moderate Muslims to support them,” said Shehu Sani, the president of the Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria.

Within an hour of the Kaduna city attack on Shalom Church, an Associated Press reporter saw billows of smoke over a mosque in a predominantly Christian part of the city. Some Christian youths quickly mounted illegal roadblocks and were seen harassing motorists. A motor­cycle taxi rider in that same neighbour­hood lay seriously hurt and bleeding by the road side. Motorcycle taxi riders there are often presumed to be Muslim and become easy targets during reprisal at­tacks by Christians.

“The Christians can’t see Boko Haram,” said Sani, “so they’ll retaliate against Muslims.”

Churches have been increasingly tar­geted by violence in Nigeria, with Boko Haram claiming some of the attacks. The situation has led churches in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north to boost their security.

Last weekend, a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives outside a church in the city of Jos, in central Nigeria, as gunmen attacked another church in the northeastern city of Biu, killing at least six people and wounding dozens. Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the two attacks.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press

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