The killing of dozens of Christians in recent days
has raised fears of a wider religious conflict and
ignited anger among Christian leaders, who
have compared the attacks by the radical
Islamist group Boko Haram to the run-up to the
country's 1960s civil war.
Ayo Oritsejafor, head of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, told his followers that
they should do what they have to in order to
defend themselves from "ethnic and religious
cleansing".
"We have the legitimate right to defend
ourselves. We're also saying today that we will
do whatever it takes. We are working things out
between ourselves," Oritsejafor said.
Nigeria's government, which last week declared
a state of emergency in four of the areas worst
hit by the violence, put into effect a 24- hour
curfew on Saturday in the northeastern
Adamawa state.
Residents were ordered to stay indoors, and
military personnel were deployed on the streets
to enforce the curfew.
"People are leaving [some areas]. We have been
told that some families are heading to military
barracks and police stations," said Al Jazeera's
Haru Mutasa, reporting from Nigeria's capital
Abuja.
"There is a sense that people are scared in
northern Nigeria, especially if they are non-
Muslims."
On Sunday, Christians on their way to religious
services faced extra precautionary measures.
"Churches have become very security
conscious," said Mutasa.
Observants were physically searched for
weapons and explosives upon entering the
places of worship.
Hundreds flee
Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abuja
on Saturday, said: "In Damaturu, it is virtually
almost an empty part of town because people
have really left those areas affected by the
violence. In Potiskum it' s the same situation.
"In Yola [Adamawa' s provincial capital], people
are off the street because of the 24- hour
curfew ... markets are shut, everything has
come to a standstill besides essential services."
The government meanwhile said it had engaged
alleged Boko Haram fighters in Potiskum, a
northeastern town in Yobe state, in clashes that
continued through Friday night.
Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for at
least two of the four separate attacks over the
last few days.
The group, whose name loosely translates to
"Western education is forbidden", is believed to
favour implementation of Islamic law across
Nigeria, a multi- ethnic nation of more than 160
million people.
Attacks on Friday left tens of people dead ,
eight of them killed after gunmen opened fire
on worshippers in a church in Yola, a hospital
source said.
Earlier on Friday, at a town hall in Mubi, also in
Adamawa state, at least another 12 people
were killed after armed men opened fire on a
group of people gathered there.
That attack targeted members of the Christian
Igbo community.
Idris said that residents told him the incident
occurred at a meeting to discuss the deaths of
four others from the Igbo community who were
killed in an attack in the town the day before.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for Friday's
attack in Mubi, local media reported.
The group, via a purported spokesman who
goes by the name Abul Qaqa, also claimed
responsibility for a separate church shooting
attack in the town of Gombe on Thursday night,
which left nine people dead.
Confrontation
Meanwhile, in Yobe state, a confrontation
between alleged Boko Haram gunmen and
police caused residents to flee their homes on
Friday evening, police and residents said.
"Our men engaged Boko Haram gunmen in
shootouts for most of the night which led to
some deaths and injuries," Yobe state police
commissioner Lawan Tanko told the AFP news
agency about clashes in the town of Potiskum.
Dozens of gunmen stormed Potiskum on Friday,
launching gun and bomb attacks on the police
headquarters.
The death toll in those clashes was at least
three, according to preliminary police figures.
The attacks come after an alleged Boko Haram
ultimatum telling southerners to leave the
mostly Muslim north of the country or be killed .
On December 31, a day before the ultimatum
was issued, President Goodluck Jonathan
declared a state of emergency in parts of four
states hit by the violence - Borno, Niger, Plateau
and Yobe.
He also ordered international borders near
Borno and Yobe state to be closed.
"It is increasingly getting harder for the Nigerian
government to address the Boko Haram
crisis," said Idris.
"Since the president declared that the
government will crush the terrorist group,
attacks by Boko Haram have actually expanded
to a few more states ... new states where Boko
Haram's presence has never been felt before."
The areas where the recent church and town
hall attacks occurred are not part of those
marked under the state of emergency.
Mutasa said some Nigerians feel the president
lacks the capacity to properly handle the
situation.
Nii Akuetteh, an analyst with the TransAfrica
Forum's Scholar's Council in Washington, told Al
Jazeera that inter- faith groups would have to
play a role in defusing the crisis.
"The one thing you don' t want to see happen is
to have the Christian community decide that
they want to take matters into their own
hands," he said.
"So it' s important that to have the interfaith
initiative, to not have Christians that are
retaliating."
Brainless Boko Haram dragging Nigeria into Civilwar
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This General Forum is for general discussions from daily chitchat to more serious discussions among Somalinet Forums members. Please do not use it as your Personal Message center (PM). If you want to contact a particular person or a group of people, please use the PM feature. If you want to contact the moderators, pls PM them. If you insist leaving a public message for the mods or other members, it will be deleted.
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- SomaliNet Super
- Posts: 20301
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- UlteriorMotive
- SomaliNet Heavyweight
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Re: Brainless Boko Haram dragging Nigeria into Civilwar

Having suffered under shabab, I think Somalis can appreciate the selfishness, stubborness and idiocy of groups like these.
1) what are they fighting for?
2) the methodology to achieve their aims is mindboggling. Killings and indiscriminate bombings? what an effective to convince people that your movement should be supported.
3) lol what are they fighting for?
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- SomaliNet Super
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Re: Brainless Boko Haram dragging Nigeria into Civilwar
They are extremist terrorists.
Peaceloving muslims and christians should join hands to destroy these braindead irhaabi sons of bitches.
Peaceloving muslims and christians should join hands to destroy these braindead irhaabi sons of bitches.
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