Kaduna Bombing: Christian Mobs Target Neighbourhood Muslims

Two suicide bombers drove vehicles packed with explosives into a Catholic church in Kaduna  today, killing and wounding several, witnesses said. The bombers both managed to get inside the packed St Rita's church, in volatile ethnically and religiously mixed Kaduna, said witness Linus Lighthouse, who survived the blasts.

UPDATES: Following the attack on the Catholic church in Kaduna, Christian mobs with machetes and sticks have taken to the streets of the city targeting people they suspect to be Muslims.

A French news agency reporter said he saw mobs targeting people who they believed to be Muslims in the neighbourhood of the church.

According to a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, a rescue vehicle was also attacked in the violence after the bombing.

A suicide bomber had earlier slammed a car bomb into St. Rita Catholic Church in Malali, Kaduna during services, killing at least three people, officials said.

A rescue official said “At least three people are confirmed dead.” He added that the death toll included the suspected attacker and that there were a number of injuries.

The neighbourhood shook as the bomb blast has brought up fears of a fresh outbreak of reprisal attacks and clashes between Christians and Muslims.

A spokesman for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency said it had received reports of a bomb blast in the area of a Catholic church and rushed rescuers to the scene.

“They were talking about a bomb explosion,” said Yushau Shuaib of the reports, while adding that his agency was however seeking to confirm details.

“A number of casualties evacuated to hospitals. The incident was suspected to be triggered by a suicide bomber in a car …”

Residents fear clashes breaking out after the blast that shook the area, between Christians and Muslims, as some say there were reported clashes already.

“There was a loud explosion and I could see smoke on the horizon,” one resident said. Another resident also reported hearing the blast.

Attack by Boko Haram in northern and central Nigeria has led to more than 2,800 deaths since 2009. President Goodluck Jonathan has said the group is seeking to incite a religious crisis in Nigeria.

Nigerians are frustrated with increasing insecurity in the country as insurgency attacks have been happening too often. Worse still, security forces’ inability to stop Boko Haram attacks has increased fears that the violence may continue.

Culled from: informationNigeria.org