Last month, two suicide bombers drove their car into the worship service of the Jos Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN). Open Doors confirmed the killing of least four people and injuring of over 40 church members. Among the dead was a young girl, whose exact age remains unknown.
The Islamist sect Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the bombing. They forced their way through the church’s security checkpoint, after ignoring the guards posted at the entrance who signaled for the car to stop. Security opened fire on the trespassers, shot dead one suicide bomber and injured the second one before the bombs went off, killing the second assailant as well.
The sound of the explosion was heard all over the city. Although the bombers aimed to drive into the church, the bombs were detonated 15 metres before it crashed into the building. If the suicide bombers had succeeded in their primary intentions, the roof would have collapsed on the
assembly, killing many more. Nevertheless, it caused excessive damage to the structure including the more than 30 cars that were ruined in the blast.
The Church of Christ in Jos has a large number of state employees on their membership including the Governor of Bauchi State, Jonah Jang. Church leaders consider this a strong motive for the attack.
Pray:
- For healing for Christian families who are bereaved through vicious attacks
- Thank God that the church is strong and that Christians express their faith with confidence
- For wisdom for Christian President Goodluck Jonathan governing a Muslim majority population.