Christians ask for prayers after Nigeria bombing

A suicide car bomber attacked a Catholic church in northern Nigeria on Sunday, killing a woman and child, and wounding 45 others. The bomb blast hit a parking lot alongside St. John's Cathedral in Bauchi Town after the suicide bomber was prevented from entering the church building due to security measured installed after a series of bombings in the city.

The Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, whose name means “western education is sinful” in the local Hausa language, has been waging a fight against the government with the aim of imposing Sharia law on the entire country, as well as driving non-Muslims from the north of the country.

It was the second attack on Christians in Bauchi Town within the space of a week. Last Sunday, four gunmen opened fire indiscriminately at a building where people generally gather in the evening to relax and play cards. Five people died on the spot, and four more died later in hospital.

Dr. Khataza Gondwe of Christian Solidarity Worldwide says the attacks have actually deepened people’s faith: “You know that if you go to Church, that may be your last day. So there’s a real deepening of the faith. Contrary to what, I think, was hoped by those people who were attacking. There’s a real deepening, and there’s also almost an increase in people going to church, almost in defiance of the fear that they may fear.”

Local sources describe a growing sense of panic in Bauchi Town, with several claiming the state’s government is not doing enough to safeguard Bauchi’s Christian community.

Dr. Gondwe says local Christians are asking for prayers: “They really do need the prayers of the people, because they feel that God will be their only protection.”

Dr. Khataza Gondwe is Team Leader for Africa and the Middle East at Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Listen to her full interview with Christopher Wells:


Dr Khataza Gondwe is Team Leader for Africa and the Middle East at Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Listen to her full interview with Christopher Wells: