Revenge attack follows church suicide bombing

A SUICIDE bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a church in the Nigerian city of Jos yesterday, killing two people and wounding 38, and Christian youths beat two Muslims to death in revenge.

The bomber rammed his Volkswagen into the church before detonating the explosives.

Security forces cordoned off the area, while the youths set up a roadblock, dragged the two men off their motorbikes and beat them to death, police said.

Ethnic and religious tensions run high in the city – located in Nigeria’s rocky “Middle Belt”, where its largely Christian south and mostly Muslim north meet.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but the Islamist militant group Boko Haram has targeted churches as part of its growing campaign of violence against the government.

Attacks on churches have raised fears the sect – styled on the Taleban – whose name means “western education is forbidden”, is trying to ignite sectarian strife in Nigeria.

Another bomb exploded near a church in the town of Suleja, on the edge of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, yesterday, wounding five people.