Suicide car bomber strikes Nigeria church, 2 killed

Bauchi (

), Sept 23: At least two persons were killed while 46 were injured after a suicide car bomber blew himself up near St John's church in a market area of Bauchi city in northern Nigeria on Sunday. Police cordoned off the area around the Catholic church, which was however harmed little by the blast. Three bodies were brought out later and the police identified one among them to be the occupant of the vehicle that exploded.

A witness said the speeding car rammed into the church fence and exploded. The victims were a woman and a child. Two policemen, who were in charge of the church's safety, were also injured in the explosion, said Hassan Mohammed, spokesman of Bauchi police.

Mohammed said the attack could have been worse had the bomber succeeded in entering the building. He said the attack was thwarted by safety measures and the explosion took place outside. National Emergency Management Agency official Yushua Shuaib also confirmed the death of two persons and said 22 of the injured were undergoing treatment in hospital.

No group claimed responsibility immediately after the attack. However, the deadly Islamist sect of Boko Haram, which has carried out several attacks on churches and Christians, security forces and government offices and killed hundreds of people since 2009, was not above suspicion.

The group aims to revive an ancient Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria where strict Sharia law would be practised and in the process, has emerged into a major threat to the country. Three senior members of the outfit have also been termed 'terrorists' by the USA.

Over 180 people were killed in attacks carried out by Boko Haram in the city of Kano in January this year.

OneIndia News

(With agency inputs)