Yelwa, Nigeria - A suicide bomber set off a car full of explosives at a church in northern Nigeria on Sunday, killing at least 12 people in the latest attack on Christian worshipers, witnesses said.
Security officers at a roadblock nearby said the bomber forced his car through the checkpoint and drove into the church in Yelwa in the state of Kebbi.
“I had just left after the morning service and was out of the church when I heard a loud explosion,” said Aliku Jon, a mechanic. “I rushed back and there were dozens of people lying in pools of blood. Many were injured, including two police officers.”
It was not clear who was responsible for the attack, although churches have been singled out this year by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, which has increasingly used suicide bombers.
Boko Haram has been blamed for hundreds of killings in bombings or gun attacks over the past two years. It says it is fighting to reinstate an ancient Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria that would impose stricter Shariah law.
It has become the chief security threat in Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, and has linked up with other Islamist groups in the region like Al Qaeda’s North African wing. But its sphere of influence is far from oil-producing facilities in southern Nigeria.
The sect had been less active in recent weeks, as a security crackdown in the north led to the deaths and arrests of several commanders.