Nigerian state slaps 24-hour curfew after church attacks

08 Jan, 2012

A north-eastern Nigerian state where attacks on Christians left around 30 people dead was put under round the clock curfew Saturday, authorities said. "Following spates of attacks in some parts of the state, the government hereby imposes a 24-hour curfew throughout the state," Adamawa state government secretary Kobis Ari said in a statement.
Around 30 Christians were gunned in three separate attacks attributed to Islamist sect Boko Haram. President Goodluck Jonathan a week ago placed parts of north-eastern Nigerian under emergency rule in a bid to curb escalating violence after 49 people were killed on Christmas day, most of them at a Catholic church.
Adamawa state does not fall under the region where the emergency rule is in force. Eleven worshippers were killed Friday evening at a church in Yola, the capital of Adamawa, according to a pastor. Earlier Friday, up to 17 other Christians were shot dead in Mubi town in the same state. It was the deadliest single attack in the region in the wake of an ultimatum issued last Sunday by the Islamists for Christians to leave the north.

Read Comments