CBN reports:
Transcript:
At least 21 people are dead after attacks on churches in northern Nigeria. No group has claimed responsibility so far but there's signs the radical Islamic sect Boko Haram may be at work.
These latest attacks appear to be part of a violent campaign that the sect has waged for several years in the northern part of the country targeting the government and Nigerian Christians.
The city of Kano is the epicenter of Boko Haram's holy war against the country and the site of the largest attack this week-end. At least 16 died and 22 were injured after gunmen rode on motorcycles onto a university campus.
The attackers threw grenades in an area where local churches hold services, and ss worshippers ran out to escape the gunmen were waiting to shoot them.
In another city where Boko Haram once had its main mosque gunmen stormed into a church service and began firing. The pastor and four other worshippers died.
In the past, Boko Haram has said the deadly attacks won't stop until Sharia law rules the country. In the meantime, its work is creating a spirit of fear in northern Nigeria.
In January of this year Boko Haram launched its deadliest attack to date. Suicide bombers hit multiple locations in Kano killing 185 people.
"Their bombs are increasingly more sophisticated and more powerful so this has gone beyond the sort of local radical group," Paul Marshall, with the Hudson Institute, said.
Boko Haram has rejected efforts to begin indirect peace talks with Nigeria's government.
Meanwhile, the killings continue. It's believed the sect has killed more than 450 people already this year.
A church in Nairobi, Kenya was also attacked this week-end. One worshipper died and 15 were wounded after someone threw a grenade into the building during a service.
The incident marks the latest in a series of attacks since Kenya send troops into Somalia. Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab militants in Somalia have vowed to carry out a major attack on Kenya for sending in the troops.
Me: I am really upset, as I am sure you are. Imagine the fear Nigerian Christians must face continually. Being in a church has become the most dangerous place in the country. Can we please pray for the Nigerian Christians? Let us pray as well that the Nigerian government will be effective in destroying Boko Haram. Finally, let us pray that Nigerian Muslims will perceive that killing is wicked, and not godly, even though that realisation contradicts the Qur'an.