Attacks in Nigeria: eyewitness report from Bishop of Zaria
Bishop George Jonathan Dodo, Bishop of Zaria, in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, was in the Cathedral of Christ the King, when it was attacked by a car bomb yesterday. Security service managed to stop the car before it got too close to the church. The bishop told Fides: "I was preaching during the second morning Mass, when around 9am, we heard a loud explosion. The car bomb created a crater two feet deep. All around there was broken glass, rubble and burning cars ":
Bombs also exploded at the Evangelical Church of the Good News and the Church of Shalom in Kaduna, the capital of the State.
Bishop Dodo said: "I am in contact with the Governor and police authorities to see how to ensure the safety of the faithful. The maximum security authorities arrived on the site of the attack to calm tempers."
Since the attacks, the BBC report that Christian youths have gone on the rampage attacking Muslims and destroying their property.
Bishop Dodo said he was aware of the fact that there had been some reprisals but he did not have details. In the attacks and subsequent reprisals, according to authorities, 45 people have died.
Source: Fides