Nigerian police arrest 4 in connection with church attack

 Nigeria's police in central north Kogi State said on Wednesday that four suspects have been arrested in connection with the Monday evening gun attack on the Deeper Life Bible Church in Okene.

State commissioner of police Mohammed Katsina told a news conference in Lokoja, the state capital, that the suspects were being interrogated to determine their level of culpability in the attack which left 19 of the worshipers dead.

The church members, including the pastor in charge, Lambe Emmanuel, were killed at about 7:30 p.m. local time during a Bible study class in the church located at Ehika-Adagu in Okehi Local government.

Emmanuel also doubled as a lecturer at the Federal College of Education, Okene. He died alongside another academic staff of the college."Four arrests have been made in connection with the Deeper Life Bible Church killings but I cannot give their names.

 They are in our custody and we have already commenced investigations to ascertain their involvement so as to deal with the situation once and for all. More arrest would be made in due course," the police chief told reporters.

Katsina promised to be thorough with the investigations, assuring that police would enforce the curfew imposed on Okene by the state government on Tuesday.

"Whoever violates the law would be dealt with decisively," he added.

He called on the residents of Lokoja, the state capital, to disregard the rumor making the rounds that members of a dreaded religious sect was planning to launch attack on the city, assuring that police was on top of the situation.

Meanwhile, more military personnel and policemen were being deployed to the trouble spots in Okene town in the Kogi central senatorial district.

Security sources told Xinhua that security were being drafted from other parts of the country.

Also, banks and commercials outfits that hurriedly closed shops in Lokoja on Tuesday as a result of the crisis in Okene and rumored discovery of a bomb in church premises in Lokoja have re- opened for business.

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Unexploded bomb discovered in another church in Kogi

 A bomb has been discovered at the Revival Church in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi state.Our correspondent in the state says that gunshots could also be heard in the town.

This development comes a day after the attack on the Deeper Life Church in Okene in which 19 people were killed, including the Church’s Pastor.The Church which is located at Eika Adagu in Okehi Local Government Area is now surrounded by officers of the Nigeria Police Force and soldiers as family members of the deceased are coming around in tears, to identify their bodies.

It is still unclear how many people were wounded in the attack Monday night as a number of the church members sustained various degrees of injuries.

According to the Military spokesman, Lt. Col. Gabriel Olorunyomi, the gunmen surrounded the church in the middle of a worship service and opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles on the worshippers.

Soldiers searched for gunmen through the night, but have made no arrests as of this morning.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesperson Yushau Shuaib said his agency has dispatched rescuers to the area.

The Primate of the Anglican Church, Reverend Nicholas Okoh has condemned yesterday’s attack on a church in Okene, Kogi state which claimed the lives of sixteen people.

Reverend Okoh who spoke with journalists in Abuja said that securing places of worship should not be left in the hands of the church alone.

He called on government to expedite action to secure the lives of its citizenry.

Responding to the call for the resignation of the president by members of the Boko Haram sect, the Anglican Primate said that the sect members are not responsible for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s election and should therefore not call for his resignation.

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Four killed in Shalom Church,,,

A suicide bomber yesterday attacked Shalom Church International in Trikaniya, Chikun Local government Area of Kaduna state, killing four people and injuring many others.

A witness who is a member of the church said the victims included a soldier who stopped the bomber from entering the church.

According to the witness, the bomber came in a red jeep and drove towards the church trying to force his way into the main building.

“One of the security men of the church who was trying to stop the suicide bomber was hit before the bomb exploded. The suicide bomber could not enter the main building but he succeeded in entering the premises,” she said.

She added that shortly after the incident, soldiers came and started shooting to cordon off the area.

“I know that the incident took place at about 10am; about 10minutes after the pastor started preaching,” she added.

Daily Trust however gathered that part of the main building of the church was destroyed, while bomber and his jeep were shattered.

Our correspondent reports that the incident took place when majority of people were still in church and were not able to go back home owing to fear of the unknown.

The attack led to violent protests by youths in Trikaniya, and later spread to Kakuri, Sabon Tasha, Romi and Gonin Gora communities.

When our correspondent visited Maraban Rido, Kakuri, Sabon Tasha, Romi and Gonin Gora in the afternoon, security agents were seen dispersing youths who had mounted roadblocks. A combined team of the police and military succeeded in removing the roadblocks after few minutes.

The protesting youths had however burnt about 10 cars and motor bikes before the arrival of the security personnel. Most of the vehicles burnt belong to passers-by.

Angry youths of Goningora, a suburb of Kaduna metropolis, burnt the town’s mosque. Our correspondent who visited the Goningora mosque gathered that it was not burnt completely but the back side of the mosque was broken and brought down while items in shops near the mosque were brought out and burnt.

Angry youths were said to have burnt mosques, houses, shops and cars, among others belonging to Muslims in Maraban Rido after which soldiers allegedly killed two of the protesters.

As at the time of filing this report, a military van was escorting vehicles plying the Kaduna-Abuja expressway.

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Breaking News: At least 24 dead, 125 wounded in Kaduna violence

Todaysgist(TG) has confirmed that at least 13 people lost their lives in the bomb attacks on three churches in Kaduna this morning.

In addition, about 11 others have been killed in reprisal attacks across the town.

According to Dr. Taylor Adeyemi, the acting Chief Medical Director of St. Luke's hospital in Wusasa, 40 victims, mostly children were brought into their hospital follwoing the blast at ECWA in Wusasa. Of this number, three were dead on arrival.

From the blast at the Christ the King Cathedral at No. 80 Yoruba street TG confirmed 10 dead and over 50 injured. TG is yet to get details of the casualties from the Trikania attack.

Three churches were attacked this morning by suicide bombers in Kaduna. One went off at the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) church, Wusasa and another at the Christ the King Cathedral Catholic church at No. 80, Yoruba Street, Sabon Gari, Zaria, just behind the Army Depot, Zaria where all Nigerian soldiers receive their basic training. The third church, Shalom Church at Trikania close to Abuja Fly over and extile Labour house, was hit by multiple explosions around 10:17am.

Also, about 35 victims of the reprisal attacks that followed the bombing have been taken to St. Gerard's Hospital within the metropolis according to the hospitals public relations officer. Seven of them were dead on arrival, burnt by their presumed assailants.

The explosions sparked violence in Kaduna as christian youths retaliated, moving around with cutlasses and sticks among other weapons. Sources say the youths  burnt a mosque at Television area and another at Goningora was broken into and vandalised in retaliation for the attacks on the three churches. 

Men of Operation Yaki are said to have taken charge of the situation, especially around Goningora which is along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway and where Christian youths were beginning to get violent. An eyewitness told TG he saw four dead bodies near the Goningora mosque. Other trouble spots so far identified are Sabo, Trikania, Television area, Tudun Wada and Unguwan Rimi.

Road blocks have been set up at strategic areas and traffic along the expressway has been halted. Other areas of Kaduna metropolis are experiencing an uneasy calm.

The Abuja-Kaduna expressway links many states in the North to Abuja.

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