YELWA, Nigeria (Reuters) - A suicide bomber drove a car full of explosives into a church in northern Nigeria on Sunday, killing 12 people in the latest deadly attack on Christian worshippers, witnesses said.
Security forces at a road block nearby said the bomber forced his car through the checkpoint and drove into the church in Yelwa, on the outskirts of the city of Bauchi.
A Reuters reporter at the scene counted 12 bodies being pulled from the building.
"I had just left after the morning service and was out of the church when I heard a loud explosion. I rushed back and there were dozens of people lying in pools of blood," said Aliku Jon, a mechanic, adding that at least six people died instantly. "Many were injured including two police officers."
It was not clear who was responsible for the attack, although churches have been targeted this year by militant Islamist group Boko Haram - which has increasingly used suicide bombers.
"I was just in the area when I heard a huge blast. The sound was so loud, my ears are still ringing," said Samuel Etudu, who was outside the church when the explosion happened.
Boko Haram, which says it is fighting to reinstate an ancient Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria that would impose stricter sharia law, has been blamed for hundreds of killings in bomb or gun attacks over the past two years.
It has become the number one security threat in Nigeria, Africa's top oil producer, and has linked up with other Islamist groups in the region such as al Qaeda's north African wing. However its sphere of influence is far from oil-producing facilities in the south of the country.Source: Reuters.
No comments:
Post a Comment