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Christians being killed in Nigeria as sectarianism continues to escalate
by Joseph Earnest January 6, 2012
Newscast Media LAGOS, Nigeria — As Christians were mourning their dead in northern Nigeria on Friday, gunmen opened fire and sprayed the crowd with bullets, killing 17 in the latest attack to hit the region amid fears of sectarian clashes, residents and a relief source said.
"There was an attack last night at Good Will Hotel in which five people were killed, all of them Igbos," resident Zubairu Abdulaziz said of the incident in the northeastern town of Mubi, speaking of the Christian Igbo ethnic group.
"Today, some friends and relations of one of those killed in the attack gathered in his house to mourn his death. Unfortunately some yet to be identified gunmen arrived at the house and shot dead 17 mourners."
Other residents gave a similar account. A rescue official speaking on condition of anonymity said local residents told him three people were killed on Thursday night and either 16 or 17 on Friday.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. A police spokeswoman declined to comment, saying she did not yet have information. It was the latest attack in recent weeks targeting Christians in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. Islamist group Boko Haram has been blamed for previous such strikes.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on December 31 in parts of four states hard hit by violence blamed on Boko Haram, but there has been no halt to the violence.
Late Thursday, gunmen opened fire on worshippers at a church on the outskirts of the city of Gombe, killing six people, including the pastor's wife. Three bomb blasts hit the cities of Maiduguri and Damaturu on Wednesday night.
The attacks came amid intensifying concerns over the potential for
renewed sectarian clashes in Nigeria, whose 160 million population is
roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly
Christian South. Add
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