Terror in Nigeria

A bomb exploded on Christmas Day outside St Theresa’s Church in Madalla, near Nigeria’s capital city Abuja, killing 35 people, wounding 50 others, and damaging the church building and nearby houses. There was another explosion and gunfire in Jos, two explosions in Damaturu, and an explosion in Gadaka. The violence is the handiwork of the Muslim group Boko Haram, which wants Sharia law implemented throughout Nigeria.

The name “Boko Haram” means “Western education is forbidden”, and the group opposes Western culture, modern science and voting in elections. The group, which was formed in 2002, came to international prominence in July 2009 when it was involved in a wave of attacks on police stations and government buildings, which led to battles with the Nigerian authorities and the deaths of more than 700 people including the group’s leader.

Boko Haram has since been involved in numerous terrorist acts including a series of bombings in Jos around Christmas time last year, killing 80 people, a New Year’s Eve attack on the Abuja barracks, a suicide car bomb attack on the UN headquarters in Abuja in August, killing 21 people, and a series of coordinated attacks on police stations and government offices last month which killed 67 people.