April 2012 Nigeria bombings
Part of Nigerian Sharia conflict
April 2012 Kaduna bombings is located in Nigeria
Kaduna
Kaduna
April 2012 Kaduna bombings (Nigeria)
LocationKaduna
Date8 April 2012 (UTC+01:00)
TargetChristian church
Attack type
Suicide bombing
Deaths38[1]
Injuredunknown
PerpetratorBoko Haram

A suicide car bombing occurred on Easter Day church services in the Nigerian city of Kaduna on 8 April 2012, targeting Christians. At least 38 people were reported dead.[2] Suspicion fell on Boko Haram, the radical Islamist sect blamed for hundreds of killings in the country in 2012 alone.[3][4]

Details

The blast struck Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna state, leaving charred motorcycles and debris strewn across a major road in the city where many gather to eat at informal restaurants and buy black market gasoline. Nearby hotels and homes had their windows blown out and roofs torn away by the force of the powerful explosion, which engulfed a group of motorcycle taxi-men.[5]

The explosion damaged the nearby All Nations Christian Assemblies International Church and the ECWA Good News Church as churchgoers worshiped at an Easter service, the explosive-laden car attempted to go into the compound of the churches before it detonated, but was blocked by barriers in the street and was turned away by a security guard as police approached.[6][7]

"We were in the holy communion service and I was exhorting my people and all of a sudden, we heard a loud noise that shattered all our windows and doors, destroyed our fans and some of our equipment in the church," Pastor Joshua Raji said.[7]

Responsibility

While no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion immediately fell on a radical Islamist sect blamed for hundreds of killings in the oil-rich country this year alone. And some fear the attack could further inflame tensions around Kaduna, a region on the dividing line between Nigeria's largely Christian south and Muslim north.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Suicide car bombing kills 38 in Nigeria on Easter Sunday". The Christian Science Monitor. Associated Press. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Nigerian Easter bomb kills many in Kaduna". BBC News. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Nigeria bombing kills 38 in city of Kaduna". The Guardian. Associated Press. 8 April 2012. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Nigeria hit by fatal bomb attacks". Deutsche Welle. 8 April 2012.
  5. ↑ "Nigeria bombing kills 38 in city of Kaduna". The Guardian. 8 April 2012. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "Nigerian Easter bomb kills many in Kaduna". BBC News. 8 April 2012. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Easter bombing near church in Nigeria kills 38


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