Suicide bombers attack church in Nigerian military barrack
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Two suicide bombers targeted a church inside a military barrack in northern Nigeria on Sunday, killing an unspecified number of people and injuring several others as worshipers were returning after a mass.
Eyewitnesses said the attack occurred at St Andrews Military Protestant Church located inside Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Jaji.
A military officer said on condition of anonymity that the casualty figure is likely to be ‘really high’ as the bombing happened immediately as the church was closing.
"The first bomber denoted his explosive inside the church and after the initial confusion was just settling and folks had started gathering to think of helping out, the second bomber exploded his car right in the midst of intending first aiders and survivors of the first (blast) who were rushing out," he said.
Another officer described the incident as embarrassing because the bombers drove their way into a military cantonment without being detected.
Suspicion immediately fell on fundamentalist Islamic group, Boko Haram which has been carrying out series of bombings in northern Nigeria.
The government of President Goodluck Jonathan has sent a special Joint Task Force (JTF) made up of police and army personnel to fight the group that has vowed to establish an Islamic caliphate in the region.
Last week, the JTF offered to pay a sum of USD 1.8 million to anybody who offers useful information about the leadership of the group.
The Joint Task Force (JTF) mentioned 19 persons at the headship of the organisation which has killed thousands of persons since their terror operation started in 2009 including its self proclaimed leader, Abubakar Shekau.
Any person offering information on Shekau was promised USD 317,000 while four persons identified as his major commanders, would attract a reward of USD 158,000 each.
Nigeria, a secular state, has major populations of Muslims and Christians.
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