Deadly attack hits Nigeria church
Gunmen have stormed a church service in Nigeria, killing six people and wounding 10, the church's pastor said, the latest in a string of attacks that has raised fears of sectarian conflict in Africa's most populous nation.
It was around 7:30 pm (1830 GMT), Pastor John Jauro told AFP news agency of Thursday's attack in the city of Gombe.
I was leading the congregation in prayers. Our eyes were closed when some gunmen stormed the church and opened fire on the congregation. Six people were killed in the attack and 10 others were wounded.
He said there was confusion as worshippers sought to flee at the Deeper Life Christian Ministry Church.
Local police spokesman Ahmed Muhammad confirmed the attack, but declined to say how many people the gunmen killed and wounded.
The attack comes after a purported spokesman for Islamist group Boko Haram on Sunday issued a three-day ultimatum for Christians living in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north to leave the region or they would be killed.
Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports.
Nigeria - Dialogue for Life - Trailer
This trailer presents the first 6 minutes of the CRTN - documentary Dialogue for Life.
Production Date: 2005
Duration: 13
Copyright : CRTN
Language: English, German, French, Spanish, Czech
Executive Producer: Mark Riedemann
Director: Agnes Dzieduszycka
Approximately 140 million people inhabit Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa. The country is divided by ethnic and religious differences. 60% of the population is Muslim living mostly in the North of the country. Christians mainly inhabit the South. The introduction of the Sharia law 10 years ago in 12 states provoked a series of riots throughout the country. In August 2004 the Islamic government in the Zamfara state threatened to demolish all churches considered as illegal structures, close all businesses belonging to Christians during Muslim prayers, and enforce a new law against clothing that is not compliant with Islamic law.
This 13-minute documentary considers the situation of the relations between the Catholic Church and Islam in northern Nigeria today, the tensions, the difficulties to be overcome, and efforts at reconciliation.
New Year mass at church where Christmas Day bomb exploded
(1 Jan 2012)
1. Close up of woman praying outside after the mass at Saint Theresa's Catholic Church
2. Close up of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo praying at the scene of the blast
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria:
At this particular time, we pray that you console the families of the bereaved.
4. Various of mass inside church
5. Mid of parishioners outside church
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rose Tobi, Parishioner:
There is nowhere that you will run to, if the dead (sic) want to come, it will come and meet you, it will still come and meet you. It's better for you to go to the house of the Lord, that is why I'm here today.
7. Mid of parishioners standing around the place where the blast happened
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Asuobi, Parishioner:
There is hardly anything that can compensate life. There is no amount of money or resources that you can give to someone who has lost a life.
9. Mid of woman wiping her eyes at scene of blast
STORYLINE
A New Year mass took place on Sunday in a Nigerian church hit by one of the bomb attacks that killed dozens of people on Christmas Day.
A radical sect known as Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks, which killed at least 42 people.
Parishioners in the town of Madalla, in northeast Nigeria, gathered for mass at Saint Theresa's Catholic Church, where at least 35 people died and dozens more were wounded.
Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo prayed with the congregation at the scene of the blast.
The attackers targeted churches and one of the state offices of Nigeria's secret police.
On Saturday, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in four states and ordered the closure of international borders near the affected areas.
Jonathan said that he has directed top security officials to set up a special counterterrorism unit to fight the growing threat posed by Boko Haram.
The Christmas attacks come a year after a series of Christmas Eve bombings in central city of Jos in the nation's middle belt, where the country's largely Muslim north meets its largely Christian south.
Last year's Christmas attacks claimed by the militants left at least 32 dead and 74 wounded.
The sect, some of whose members are believed to have links to al-Qaida, wants to impose Islamic Shariah law across Nigeria.
You can license this story through AP Archive:
Find out more about AP Archive:
LEARN HAUSA LANGUAGE WITH EASE
For the full package of Lextorah Language series (LLS) in Hausa, please visit our online store at
You can buy LLS, the DVD version for any windows enabled device or download LLS directly onto any windows enabled device.
Lextorah Language Series (LLS) in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and French is an interactive and engaging Language Learning programme that will not only give children of all ages, a sense of belonging but also help them to learn, speak, read and write these languages.
Pregnancy: What to Expect Week 22 -- Linea Nigra
You're 22 weeks pregnant and your baby is now able to reach out and touch its face or grab the umbilical cord. One thing you might be noticing now is the linea nigra -- a dark line running down your stomach. You may also notice your skin is rather itchy. What causes it and what can you do to make it feel better? Dawn Siff explains in this Parenticity: Growing and Glowing segment. For more images from this week of the pregnancy, go to EHD.org.
38 doden door aanslagen tijdens de Paasdagen in Nigeria
bron
tags radicaal moslim fundamentalisme islam terrorisme terreur extremisme links rechts fitna sharia pvv geert wilders partij voor de vrijheid
Pick & Smile Spiritual Store
NOW OPEN!!! Spiritual healing pharmacy and store, multi purpose spiritual products available here. our shop location, beside madalla primary school along suleja road zuba area abuja/Niger state nigeria, call 09014851717
Poison! NEMA employees accuse DG of distributing expired rice to IDPs in North-East
In what seems to be one of the gravest allegations against embattled Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mr. Mustapha Maihaja, employees of the agency have accused him of distributing expired rice to internally-displaced persons in the country’s north-east.
The workers, who are currently on strike, want the DG sacked by president Muhammadu Buhari.
He is accused of being unfit and failing to learn on the job.
At the protest which began at the headquarters of NEMA before Eid-El-Fitri holiday, the staff alleged they were molested by the police when they kept vigil at the premises in the night.
When Oak TV crew visited the premises on Tuesday, June 19, the workers were seen wearing dark clothes, suggesting mourning, and rolling on the ground.
A number of policemen and soldiers were within the premises to ensure that was no break down of law and order.
Vice Chairman, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (NEMA Unit), Hafsat Shuaib, who spoke on behalf of the workers said the workers would down tools until the DG resigns or is sacked from office.
GENESIS OF MAIHAJA’S TRAVAILS
Maihaja was appointed by president Buhari on March 31 2017 and resumed in May same year.
His leadership of the agency has been characterized by protests, probes, and tongue-lashings.
On February 15 this year, the House of Representatives directed Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness to investigate him for allegedly awarding a N2.4 billion contract said to be above his approval limit of N30 million.
The Reps said that a year before then, the agency got about N17 billion which according to them “were illegally siphoned by officials of the agency through dubious award of contracts without delivering relief materials to victims.”
Similar probe took place in April, where leadership of the agency was reprimanded by the lawmakers for misappropriating funds without due process, and diverting relief materials, among others.
CURRENT CRISIS
The DG’s days at the agency may be numbered as the workers insist he must go.
Vice Chairman, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (NEMA Unit), Hafsat Shuaib, said Maihaja had lost his popularity with employees of the agency.
She claimed he had grounded the aircrafts of the agency and other vehicles used for disbursing relief materials and attending to emergencies.
“The DG, National Emergency Management Agency was appointed in April 2017. But, he resumed office in May 2017. Upon resumption, our life assurance got expired, and he was approached. He said he was going to renew it, but he didn’t renew it.
“As at June, it was time for promotion exercise, the names were upheld. Then, he came and said there was an embargo. The union had to make enquiries from Head of Service office. We went round and they said there was nothing like that. They said if he insists, he must show us the circular to that effect.
“Before now, we used to respond to emergencies, we gave relief materials to even our sister countries like Uganda, Gambia and the rest.
But now, we can’t attend to emergencies within our country.”
She said the facilities in Abuja responded to over a thousand incidences between between 2015 and 2016, but that the facilities are now grounded.
According to her, response vehicles of the agency had been moribund. She explained that the agency’s call centre number hadn’t been available because of the activities of the DG.
She went on: “Nothing is happening in the agency, the staff are dormant, nothing. We don’t do anything, we don’t have working materials, we don’t working equipment…
'He doesn’t know the job. He is incompetent, he is inexperienced, and he doesn’t want to learn the job. We had people that never knew anything about disaster management.
“When you come, at least, you will want to know what your job schedule is, and you take it up from there. We have relief materials all over the nation in our warehouses, they’ve all gone bad. As I speak to you, they’ve all gone bad. As I speak to you, the spoilt Chinese rice is being distributed in Maiduguri. It’s bad, it’s very wrong.
“We dare him to come and tell the world, not only Nigerians what he had done in 13 months in this agency. We don’t hate him. We celebrated his coming…”
He was caught sleeping with a married woman
Suleja Bomb Blast
Barley two months after the Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla was attacked, another bomb blast today went off close to the Christ Embassy Church on Suleja area of Niger State.
The explosion, between two vehicles, along Morrocco street, destroyed five cars and injured four people.