Church attacked in northern Nigeria: police

AFP

16 Feb 2011

Church attacked in northern Nigeria: police

KANO, Nigeria — Gunmen attacked a church Tuesday in northern Nigeria, but it was unclear if there were casualties in the latest such incident in the region where dozens have been killed in recent months.

"There was an attack on a church around the Gomari area of the city this evening and soldiers stationed there fired back," police commissioner Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar said of the incident in the city of Maiduguri.

"We don't know who the attackers are yet," he added, saying he could not provide further details. A military spokesman could not be reached.

Previous such incidents have been blamed on an Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which launched an uprising in 2009 put down by a brutal military assault.

Three churches were attacked on Christmas Eve in Maiduguri, killing six people. The sect has also claimed responsibility for the recent assassination of a high-profile candidate for governor.