Easter bombing near church in Nigeria kills 38

(AP) LAGOS, Nigeria - A http://www.onlinenigeria.com/ suicide car bomber detonated his explosives
Sunday morning on a busy road after apparently turning away from attacking Nigerian churches
holding Easter services, killing at least 38 people in a massive blast that rattled a city long at the
center of religious, ethnic and political violence in the nation.
The blast struck Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna state, leaving charred motorcycles and debris strewn
across a major road in the city where many gather to eat at informal restaurants and buy black
market gasoline. Nearby hotels and homes had their windows blown out and roofs torn away by the
force of the powerful explosion, which engulfed a group of motorcycle taximen.
The explosion damaged the nearby All Nations Christian Assembly Church and the ECWA Good
News Church as churchgoers worshipped at an Easter service, the possible target of the bomber.
Witnesses said it appeared the explosive-laden car attempted to go into the compound of the
churches before it detonated, but was blocked by barriers in the street and was turned away by a
security guard as police approached.
"We were in the holy communion service and I was exhorting my people and all of a sudden, we
heard a loud noise that shattered all our windows and doors, destroyed our fans and some of our
equipment in the church," Pastor Joshua Raji said.
While no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion immediately fell on a
radical Islamist sect blamed for hundreds of killings in the oil-rich nation this year alone. And some
fear the attack could further inflame tensions around Kaduna, a region on the dividing line between
Nigeria's largely Christian south and Muslim north.
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At least 38 people were killed in the blast, said Abubakar Zakari Adamu, a spokesman for the
Kaduna state Emergency Management Agency. Others suffered serious injuries and were receiving
treatment at local hospitals, Adamu said.
A witness, Augustine Vincent, said he was riding a motorcycle just behind the car when it exploded.
"God saw our heart and saved us," he said.
Churches have been increasingly targeted by violence on holy days in Nigeria, a nation of more than
160 million people of Christians and Muslims. A Christmas Day suicide bombing of a Catholic church
in Madalla near Nigeria's capital killed at least 44 people.
Police and soldiers quickly cordoned off the blast site, though citizens looked on at the flames and
damage. Authorities said they had no immediately suspects in the attack, though a radical Islamist
sect known as Boko Haram has claimed similar attacks in the past.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of
Nigeria's north, is waging an increasingly bloody fight with security agencies and the public. More
than 380 people have been killed in violence blamed on the sect this year alone, according to an
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/nigeria/index.html
Associated Press count.
The sect, employing suicide bombers and assault-rifle shootouts, has attacked both Christians and
Muslims, as well as the United Nations' headquarters in Nigeria.
The sect has rejected efforts to begin indirect peace talks with Nigeria's government. Its demands
include the introduction of strict Shariah law across http://www.yohaig.ng/category/newspapers/ the
http://www.afdb.org/en/countries/west-africa/nigeria/ country, even in Christian areas, and the
release of all imprisoned followers.
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