10 dead, 145 wounded in Kaduna church bombing, attacks

Least 10 people dead and 145 wounded in Kaduna church bombing, attacks.
Christian youths took to the streets of the northern city ofKaduna
with machetes and sticks after the blast, targeting those they
believedto be Muslims as anger againboiled over due to repeated church
bombings in recent months.
Attackers beat a motorcycle taxi driver near the church, then put his
bike on top of him before dousing him withpetrol and setting him on
fire, an AFP correspondent who saw the violence said. Two other
bloodied bodies apparently killed by the mob were seen near the
church.
A rescue official on conditionof anonymity also spoke of the man being
burnt and said rescuers could not save him because the mob was too
violent.
The mob also attacked an ambulance in the ensuing violence, but there
was no indication that rescuers werewounded.
"So far we have eight dead and 145 injured from the church blast,"
Musa Ilallah, regional coordinator for the National Emergency
Management Agency, told AFP, noting that his death tollincluded the
suspected bomber.
The attacker rammed what residents said was an SUV into St. Rita
church, shaking the Malali neighbourhood of Kaduna, a city that has
suffered a wave of deadly violence blamed on Islamist extremist group
Boko Haram.
"All of a sudden it drove on high speed and rammed intothe church
wall, forcing its way into the church premises," said witness Samuel
Emmanuel.
"Initially I thought the driver had lost control of the vehicle.
Suddenly there was ahuge explosion as the car reached the church
building. It was dust, fire and smoke all over."
A spokesman for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency
confirmed the bomb attack and said rescuers had been rushed to the
scene.
"A number of casualties evacuated to hospitals," said Yushau Shuaib.
The incident was suspected to be triggered by a suicide bomber in a
car."
An AFP correspondent said mobs were yelling "why the church?" and some
were carrying weapons, including machetes. Local elders were seeking
to restore calm.
Residents had earlier spokenof clashes having broken outbetween
Christian and Muslim residents.
The attack came after Friday's Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, but it was
not clear ifthere was any link.
In June, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks
on churches in Kaduna state, where the city of Kaduna is located,
which led to deadly rioting. Dozens of people were killed in the
violence.
Boko Haram's insurgency in northern and central Nigeria has led to
more than 2,800 deaths since 2009. While Muslims have often been its
victims, it has in recent months also specifically targeted churches.
President Goodluck Jonathanhas said the group is seekingto incite a
religious crisis in Africa's most populous nation and largest oil
producer, roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and
predominately Christian south.
Kaduna is a large mainly Muslim city in Nigeria's north and includes a
sizeable Christian population.
Nigerians have grown increasingly frustrated with security forces'
inability to stop Boko Haram attacks, and there have been warnings of
more reprisals ifthe violence continued.
Some Evangelical church leaders in Nigeria have said Christians may be
forced to defend themselves if something is not done to address the
unrest.
Source:vanguardngr