- Title: NIGERIA: Five people are wounded in bomb blast outside a church in town of Suleja
- Date: 20th February 2012
- Summary: SULEJA, NIGERIA (FEBRUARY 19, 2012) (REUTERS) MILITARY AT BLAST SCENE VEHICLE DESTROYED BY THE BAST CRATER LEFT BY THE BLAST VARIOUS OF DAMAGED VEHICLES POLICE COMMISSIONER, IBRAHIM MAISHANU, ACCOMPANIED BY DETECTIVES AND LOCAL LEADERS INSPECTING THE SCENE OF THE BLAST RESIDENTS DISCUSSING THE ATTACK (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLICE COMMISSIONER, IBRAHIM MAISHANU, SAYING: "You have seen a lot of security, soldiers all over the place, police and other security agencies and a lot of intelligence is on, this could have been worse if not for the activities of the security men." VARIOUS OF VEHICLES DAMAGED BY BLAST (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIST EMBASSY CHURCH PASTOR, UYI IDUGBOE, SAYING: "I heard there were some minor injuries. When splinters fly such things are bound to happen, but they were very minor. The first people that came who are the, I think, what is their name… the military so they took all of those things. So it was…minor injuries, about four or five maximum. The (Police Commissioner) said five, you see, they are the security professionals, so he said five, but the good thing is that since we noticed it before time, we were able to evacuate." MILITARY PATROLLING AREA MILITARY CHECKPOINT ON ROAD EMPTY ROAD
- Embargoed: 6th March 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Crime,Politics,Religion,Religion
- Reuters ID: LVA7ERC873S2O51JK6M2V03672QT
- Story Text: A bomb exploded near a church in the Nigerian town of Suleja on Sunday (February 19), wounding five people, a spokesman for the emergency services said.
Five vehicles were also damaged in the blast near the Christ Embassy Church, on the edge of the capital.
Two of them were largely destroyed and grey ash was cast across the ground.
Nigerian officials say Suleja and surrounding Niger state have been infiltrated by militants from the Boko Haram Islamist sect, which is waging an insurgency against the Nigerian government that formerly confined to the largely Muslim far north and northeast.
"You have seen a lot of security, soldiers all over the place, police and other security agencies and a lot of intelligence is on, this could have been worse if not for the activities of the security men," police commissioner, Ibrahim Maishanu, said.
Uyi Idugboe, pastor of Christ Embassy Church, said one of his congregation had spotted a suspicious looking package between two cars when he went outside to check his vehicle was locked.
He then alerted everyone to stay indoors.
"I heard there were some minor injuries. When splinters fly such things are bound to happen, but they were very minor. The first people that came who are the, I think, what is their name… the military so they took all of those things. So it was minor injuries, about four or five maximum. The (Police Commissioner) said five, you see, they are the security professionals, so he said five, but the good thing is that since we noticed it before time, we were able to evacuate," Idugboe, said.
Soldiers cordoned the area off and were patrolling in large numbers.
The Boko Haram sect, which wants sharia law more widely applied across Africa's most populous nation, has become increasingly sophisticated and deadly in its methods in the last six months. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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