New Church Attack Stokes Religious Tension in Nigeria

January 06, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

Gunmen have stormed a church service in Nigeria, killing six people and wounding 10, the church's pastor said, the latest in a string of attacks that has raised fears of sectarian conflict in Africa's most populous nation. "It was around 7:30 pm," Pastor John Jauro told AFP news agency of Thursday's attack in the city of Gombe. "I was leading the congregation in prayers. Our eyes were closed when some gunmen stormed the church and opened fire on the congregation. Six people were killed in the attack and 10 others were wounded." He said there was confusion as worshippers sought to flee at the Deeper Life Christian Ministry Church. Local police spokesman Ahmed Muhammad confirmed the attack, but declined to say how many people the gunmen killed and wounded. The attack comes after a purported spokesman for Islamist group Boko Haram on Sunday issued a three-day ultimatum for Christians living in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north to leave the region or they would be killed. Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports.

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Boko Haram

Congregation and People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad, better known by its Hausa name Boko Haram, is a jihadist militant organisation based in the northeast of Nigeria and north Cameroon. It is an Islamist movement which strongly opposes man-made laws and westernizati... Explore this topic

Nigeria

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in t... Explore this topic

Nigerian Sharia conflict

The Nigerian Sharia conflict is an armed conflict of militant groups, different representatives of religious groupings and the government of Nigeria. According to a Nigerian study on demographics and Religion, Muslims make up 50.5% of the population. They mainly live in the No... Explore this topic

Gombe

Gombe is a city in northeastern Nigeria. It is the capital city of Gombe State and has an estimated population of 261,536. The city is the headquarters of the Gombe Emirate, a traditional state that covers most of Gombe State. Recent developments include an electrical generati... Explore this topic

Religious Violence

Religious violence is a term that covers phenomena where religion, in its diversity, is either the subject or object of violent behaviour. Religious violence is, specifically, violence that is motivated by or in reaction to religious precepts, texts, or doctrines. This include... Explore this topic

Shooting

Shooting is the act or process of firing firearms or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets, and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman. Shooting can take place in a shooting range ... Explore this topic

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. "Christian" derives from the Koine Greek word Christ, a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term Messiah. Central to the Christian fait... Explore this topic

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Qur'an—which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad—and, with lesser authority than the Qur'an, the teachings and practices of Muhammad as ... Explore this topic

Bomb

A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanical stress, t... Explore this topic

Goodluck Jonathan

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria. Prior to his role as President, he served as Governor of Bayelsa State and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People... Explore this topic

Also See

Boko Haram

Nigeria

Nigerian Sharia conflict