Nigeria: Death Toll Rises in Bomb Attacks, Christians Increasingly Fearful

January 23, 2012

A series of attacks by militant Islamist group Boko Haram rocked Nigeria's northern states of Bauchi and Kano during the weekend, with the death toll estimated to be more than 185, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports. The bombings and shooting spree targeted the immigration services, police headquarters and State Security Service building in Kano, and Boko Haram's spokesman, Abul Qaqa, said the only thing preventing the group from unleashing an "endless campaign of violence" on the entire state was the intervention of unnamed Muslim scholars. In Bauchi state, a church and school were partially destroyed by bombs, and 11 were killed in an attack on a hotel and a military checkpoint. Nigeria's Christian community is increasingly worried that they will be directly targeted in the near future as Boko Haram's attacks become more frequent and deadly.