A bomb exploded on Sept. 11 in a church in the Laranto area of Jos, the capital of Plateau state in northern Nigeria.
The blast, which security agents attribute to Muslim extremists, shattered the roof of the cathedral and destroyed interior parts of the building. No injuries were reported.
The explosion occurred around 10 a.m., causing panic in the city and driving a wedge in the fragile peace process in the state.
Haruna Dauda, senior minister of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), told Compass Direct news service that he was in the pastor’s residence close to the cathedral when the explosion took place.
“When we heard the explosion, we rushed out to see what was happening, only to discover that the explosion had destroyed a part of the church building, the roof of the church and the vestry. In addition, we saw thick black smoke covering the entire church,” he said.
“After we saw the damage, I went and invited some soldiers to come and see what happened. I reported the incident to the police at the Laranto police station as well.”
Dauda said that as soon as the police received his report, they sent a team of bomb experts to the church premises. Since then, they have been working to expose the people behind the bombing.
He said he believes Muslim militants were responsible for the attack because about two months ago two Muslim extremists broke into the church.
The two men were arrested and delivered to police custody.
He attributed the rising wave of terrorist attacks on the Christian community to the Sept. 7, 2001, clashes that pitched Muslims against Christians in the state. That violent confrontation resulted in the death of more than 1,000 people and the destruction of property estimated at millions of dollars.
Innocent Ilozuoke, state police commissioner in Jos, confirmed the explosion of the bomb in the church and also said he had visited the church.
“I visited the scene, and my bomb disposal men are on it,” he said.
On Sept. 18, John Audu, general secretary of COCIN, said that during the past year his denomination has lost 25 church buildings in Jos alone.
“We also lost five ministers — three ordained pastors and two evangelists. In addition, 35 of our members were killed, including one of our secretarial staff here,” Auda said.
“In all, the Church of Christ in Nigeria has lost church properties worth more than $10 million in the last year,” he continued.
The Church of Christ was established in 1904 and currently is present in 28 of the country’s 36 states. The denominational membership is estimated at about 2.5 million.
Audu says he cannot see how this crisis can end without the Nigerian government taking a decisive stand against terrorist acts committed against Christians. (CD)
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