19 killed in church attack in Nigeria
On Tuesday, two men opened fire as churchgoers were settling down for a Bible study group in Okene, Nigeria. A third man switched off the church’s generator and left victims in the dark and powerless to escape.
The two shooters used Kalashnikov assault rifles to kill 15 people in the Deeper Life evangelical church. Four others later died of their injuries.
The Christian Science Monitor reports that National Chief of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has placed all places of worship in the Okene locality on surveillance.
As of yet, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Nigeria-based Osun Defender has pointed a finger at Boko Haram, an Islamic jihadist organization based in northern Nigeria.
Boko Haram has been held responsible for many other attacks on places of worship, both Muslim and Christian, in the past few years. The Associated Press estimates that more than 660 murders can be attributed to the group in 2012 alone.
Nigeria is a nation that has approximately equal numbers of Muslims and Christians. Tensions have recently risen due to the emergence of Boko Haram in 2001.
