Abuja: A bomb explosion near a church in
Nigeria's northern city of Suleja on Sunday injured five people
and gutted more than five vehicles amid a wave of violence by
a radical Islamist sect in the country.
"The bomb exploded from an abandoned car and
investigations have commenced," police spokesman Richard
Oguche said of the explosion in Suleja which is near the
Nigeriaan capital Abuja.
The explosion occurred near Christ Embassy church located
near some hotels, Yushua Shuaib, the spokesman of Nigeria's
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told PTI.
The explosion took place as the church began its service.
Police said one of the five injured persons sustained
serious injury and has been taken to the hospital while the
rest had minor cuts.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast
but radical Islamic sect Boko Haram Boko has been waging a
bloody conflict to install an Islamic government and Sharia
rule in the country.
It had on Christmas day last year killed 44 persons at St
Theresa’s Catholic church in the same city.
Last month, more than 185 were killed in a coordinated
bomb and gun attacks by the group in the northern city of
Kano.
A suicide bomb attack by the group at the United Nations
headquarters in Abuja in July killed 26 persons.
A gunmen shot dead a cleric and local politician in
northeastern city of Maiduguri yesterday. The sect has been
suspected to be involved in the violence but it has not
claimed responsibility.
The 150-million Nigeria has both Muslim and Christian
population, with Muslims predominant in the north while
Christians mostly live in the South.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, February 19, 2012, 21:48