Share

Explosives found at church in Jos, Nigeria

Jos - Explosives were found at a church in the central Nigerian city of Jos on Sunday, police and the Red Cross told AFP, adding that the device went off but there were no casualties.

"It was averted because the bomb was detected by the church's security personnel. There were no casualties," said Emmanuel Abuh, spokesperson for the state police in Plateau, of which Jos is the capital.

The Nigerian Red Cross said the explosion happened at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) premises in the Tudun Wada area of the city, near the building's toilet.

"There was no one there and so no injured and no dead," spokesman Nwakpa Okorie Nwakpa said in a text message.

The incident in the north of the city came a week after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a church in the northeastern city of Potiskum, killing the pastor and four other worshippers.

Jos was also targeted last Sunday by Boko Haram militants who fired on a mosque, including with a rocket-propelled grenade. They also hit a restaurant popular with travellers from the restive northeast.

The twin attack left 51 dead and 47 injured.

Boko Haram will likely come under suspicion for the latest incident, as it has repeatedly hit both churches and mosques in the past.

The Islamists claimed a failed suicide attack in the northeastern city of Maiduguri that killed two people on Saturday and a suicide bombing in Chad's capital, N'Djamena that left 15 dead.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 485 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 693 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.92
+0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.88
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.1%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE