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Nigeria gunmen 'kill at least five Christians' in Yobe | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Gunmen in the northern Nigerian state of Yobe have shot dead at least five Christians, a human rights worker in the area has told the BBC. | Gunmen in the northern Nigerian state of Yobe have shot dead at least five Christians, a human rights worker in the area has told the BBC. |
He said that a church in Peri village near Potiskum, the economic capital of Yobe, was set on fire in an attack late on Christmas Eve. | He said that a church in Peri village near Potiskum, the economic capital of Yobe, was set on fire in an attack late on Christmas Eve. |
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killings. | No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killings. |
But the Boko Haram Islamist militant group has targeted a number of churches in the north since 2010. | But the Boko Haram Islamist militant group has targeted a number of churches in the north since 2010. |
It has killed hundreds in its campaign to impose Sharia law. | It has killed hundreds in its campaign to impose Sharia law. |
A series of bomb attacks carried out by the group at Christmas 2011 - including two at Christmas Day church services - left almost 40 people dead and many more injured. | |
'Savage acts of terrorism' | |
Network for Justice head Zakari Adamu said that the gunmen also attacked the homes of Christians following the attack during the midnight mass service. | Network for Justice head Zakari Adamu said that the gunmen also attacked the homes of Christians following the attack during the midnight mass service. |
The AFP news agency reported that the pastor of the church - a branch of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) - is among the dead. | |
The attack comes on the same day that the Pope - as part of his Christmas Day address - prayed for harmony in Nigeria, lamenting what he called "savage acts of terrorism" that frequently target Christians. | |
The head of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Yobe, Idi Garba, told AFP that many worshippers at ECWA "are still missing". | |
"I have been informed that six bodies have been recovered," Mr Garba said. | |
He said that some worshippers who lived near the church "fled their homes during the attack and it is assumed that they are still hiding in the bush". | |
Correspondents says that while Yobe's population is overwhelmingly Muslim, Potiskum has a significant Christian minority. Peri is just 2km (1.24 miles) outside the city. | |
Boko Haram has been able to carry out so many attacks in Yobe because it borders Borno state where the insurgent group is based. | |
Nigeria is Africa's most populous state and its biggest oil producer. Most people in the south are Christian, whereas the north has a Muslim majority. |