Christmas 2011 Nigeria attacks

December 2011 Nigeria bombings
Part of the Nigerian Sharia conflict
Location	Madalla, Jos, Gadaka and Damaturu, Nigeria
Date	25 December 2011 08:00 (UTC+01:00)
Target	Nigerian Christians
Attack type	Suicide bombings, bombings and shootings
Deaths	39+
Injured	52+

On 25 December 2011, there were a number of attacks on Christmas Day church services in northern Nigeria. There were bomb blasts and shootings at churches in Madalla (near the capital, Abuja), Jos, Gadaka and Damaturu. At least 39 people were killed. Boko Haram claimed responsibility.

Bombings

Madalla

At least 35 people died and 52 others were injured in an attack at St Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, a satellite town of Abuja located 40 km from the city center. A local coordinator with the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the death toll.

National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushau Shuaibu said that the Madalla bombing had occurred on the street outside the church. He added that the church, which could hold 1,000 people, had been badly affected by the blast. Witnesses said that the windows of the nearby houses were shattered by the explosion. Officials at the local hospital said that the condition of many injured people is serious. Slaku Luguard, a NEMA coordinator, said that the rescue workers found at least 25 bodies and the officials are tallying the wounded in various hospitals. NEMA acknowledged that it didn't have enough ambulances at hand to help the wounded. Luguard also said that an angry crowd, which gathered at the blast site, shackled the rescue workers as they refused to allow them to go inside. "We’re trying to calm the situation. There are some angry people around trying to cause problems," he said. Furthermore, at least eight cars and two motorbikes were destroyed in the blast, which damaged surrounding buildings up to 150 meters away.

Jos

The second explosion was at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in Jos, which killed one person.

Government spokesman Pam Ayuba said that a gunmen later fired on the police who were guarding the area, killing one police officer. Another two bombs were found in a nearby building and were disarmed.

Gadaka and Damaturu

Two explosions were also reported from the city of Damaturu, and another at a church in the northeastern town of Gadaka. At least one of the attacks in Damaturu was the work of a suicide car bomber, who rammed the building housing the state headquarters of the State Security Service. At least three people were killed in that blast, although a senior military commander allegedly targeted by it managed to survive.

Perpetrators

The attacks were claimed by the Islamist group Boko Haram.

Reactions

Domestic

• Nigeria – President Goodluck Jonathan described the incident as "unfortunate," adding that Boko Haram would "not be (around) for ever. It will end one day."

Supranational bodies

• United Nations – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks in the strongest words and called for an end to all acts of sectarian violence in the country.

• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu condemned the attacks and called for an "end to the bloodshed and the sufferings of the people." He also urged all Nigerians to help the authorities preserve peace and stability in the country.

States

• Canada – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said: "These people died practising their religion—a basic human right. Canada strongly denounces such cowardly attacks without reservation. It is unconscionable that they occurred on Christmas against individuals attending religious services. We stand with the people and the government of Nigeria at this difficult time and join those calling for all responsible to be brought to justice."

• France – President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed "solidarity in [Nigeria's] fight against terrorism."

• Germany – Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that "even on Christmas Day, the world is not spared from cowardice and the fear of terrorism."

• Holy See – Director of the Press Office Father Federico Lombardi condemned the attacks and said: "We are close to the suffering of the Nigerian Church and the entire Nigerian people so tried by terrorist violence, even in these days that should be of joy and peace." – Pope Benedict XVI – Pope Benedict condemned the attacks as an "absurd gesture" and prayed that "the hands of the violent be stopped."

• Israel – The Foreign Ministry said that it will send medical aid to Nigeria. It also "condemned in the strongest terms these attacks carried out on Christmas Day."

• Italy – Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said that the attacks had struck at "the universal principles of civility." He said,"I express my strongest condemnation of these vile attacks. Italy, which has always been at the forefront in the defence of freedom of religion and the promotion of dialogue and tolerance between religions, will continue to do the utmost ... so that in Nigeria like elsewhere the principles of co-existence between religions and respect for freedom of religion are actively respected and defended."

• Malaysia – Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party – International committee chair Kamarudin Jaffar said that "PAS, together with the international community, condemns the church attacks in the strongest terms possible."

• Turkey – Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the attacks "saddened Turkey deeply and [the] Turkish people shared the sufferings of the Nigerian people and government of the friendly country."

• United Kingdom – Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "I condemn today's bomb attacks in or near churches in Nigeria. These are cowardly attacks on families gathered in peace and prayer to celebrate a day which symbolises harmony and goodwill towards others. I offer my condolences to the bereaved and injured."

• United States – The White House condemned the attacks saying them "senseless". It offered its condolences to the Nigerian people, and pledged to assist the authorities in bringing the responsible people to justice.

Organisations

• Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat of Malta issued a statement in which it "strongly rejected and condemned" the attacks. The statement also read: "These acts of violence and hatred against innocent citizens are provocative and inhuman. These are no doubt, inhuman, heinous and cruel attacks, which should be condemned at every level. The Ahmadiyya Community condemns the attack in [the] strongest terms and demands [that] the authorities bring the culprits [to] justice as soon as possible. The head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community calls all the people to exhibit their kindness to one-another, to show love and affection and for renewing ties of brotherhood and kinship so that peace in the best possible manner can be established in our societies."

• American Jewish Committee – Executive Director David Harris said that the "AJC, which for over a century has been profoundly committed to defending religious freedom, condemns these despicable attacks on Christian worshipers gathered to celebrate their holy day of Christmas. All people of goodwill, and especially all religious leaders of goodwill, should stand together in full solidarity with the victims and in unambiguous opposition to those who would kill and maim in the name of their own perverted faith. We pray for the full recovery of the injured and for the arrest and prosecution, to the full extent of the law in Nigeria, of those who planned and implemented these hate-filled, anti-Christian terrorist attacks."

• Council on American-Islamic Relations – CAIR issued a statement that read: "We condemn the unconscionable and inexcusable attacks on Nigerian churches and offer sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured. Only a strong demonstration of interfaith unity will show those behind the attacks that they will never achieve their goal of dividing society along religious lines."

• Islamic Supreme Council of Canada – Founder Syed Soharwardy said: "This is an extremely deplorable crime...It's not Islam. This is an un-Islamic action" On the day of Christmas this terrorism is worse of its kind. The attacks on churches while Christians were praying and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ cannot be done by anyone who knows and follows Islam, the group said in a media release published by CTV Calgary. We remind the media and the people that the group who has claimed the responsibility, Boko Haram is a Wahabi group. We do not consider these people to be the true followers of Islam. Islamic Supreme Council of Canada expresses deep sadness on the loss of innocent lives. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the worldwide Christian community in solidarity against this violence."

• Muslim Council of Britain – Secretary general Farooq Murad said: "There is nothing in our faith of Islam that can condone attacks on places of worship or on Christians as we have seen today. The attacks take place at the most important celebrations for Christians, it is offensive and Muslims condemn such actions. It threatens the fragile state of relations between Muslims and Christians, which has been peaceful in the past. Sectarian attacks as we have seen in Nigeria and in Iraq last week are reprehensible – people who claim to carry out such carnage in the name of Islam are completely mistaken and are as much enemy of Muslims as anyone else."