[Daily Nation (Kenya)] A suicide kaboomer drove a car boom into a Nigerian church on Sunday, sparking fierce reprisals that saw a Christian mob burn a man alive in day of a bloody of violence that left at least 10 people dead and 145 maimed. Christian youths erupted into the streets of the northern city of Kaduna with machetes and sticks after the blast, targeting those they believed to be Moslems as anger again boiled over due to repeated church bombings in recent months.
| Even good Christians only have so many other cheeks to turn... |
Two other bloodied bodies apparently killed by the mob were seen near the church.
A rescue official on condition of anonymity also spoke of the man being burnt and said rescuers could not save him because the mob was too violent.
The mob also attacked an ambulance in the ensuing violence, but there was no indication that rescuers were maimed.
"So far we have eight dead and 145 injured from the church blast," Musa Ilallah, regional coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency, told AFP, noting that his corpse count included the suspected bomber.
The attacker rammed what residents said was an SUV into St. Rita church, shaking the Malali neighbourhood of Kaduna, a city that has suffered a wave of deadly violence blamed on Islamist bully boy group Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
"All of a sudden it drove on high speed and rammed into the church wall, forcing its way into the church premises," said witness Samuel Emmanuel.
"Initially I thought the driver had lost control of the vehicle. Suddenly there was a huge kaboom as the car reached the church building. It was dust, fire and smoke all over."
A front man for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the kaboom and said rescuers had been rushed to the scene.
"A number of casualties evacuated to hospitals," said Yushau Shuaib. The incident was suspected to be triggered by a jacket wallah in a car."
An AFP correspondent said mobs were yelling "why the church?" and some were carrying weapons, including machetes. Local elders were seeking to restore calm.
Residents had earlier spoken of festivities having broken out between Christian and Moslem residents.
The attack came after Friday's Moslem Eid al-Adha holiday, but it was not clear if there was any link.
In June, Boko Haram grabbed credit for three suicide attacks on churches in Kaduna state, where the city of Kaduna is located, which led to deadly rioting. Dozens of people were killed in the violence.
Boko Haram's insurgency in northern and central Nigeria has led to more than 2,800 deaths since 2009.
While Moslems have often been its victims, it has in recent months also specifically targeted churches.