Deeper Life Bible Church shooting
Deeper Life Church shooting | |
---|---|
Part of the Nigerian Sharia conflict | |
Location | Deeper Life Bible Church, Otite, Kogi State, Nigeria |
Coordinates | 7°36′36″N 6°16′23″E / 7.6100°N 6.2730°E |
Date | 7 August 2012 |
Target | Christian civilians |
Attack type | mass shooting |
Weapons | AK-47 assault rifles |
Deaths | 19 |
No. of participants | 3 |
On 7 August 2012, a mass shooting occurred at
Background
Shootings
Church shooting
The attack took place on 7 August 2012, at the Deeper Life Bible Church in the town of Otite, which is on the outskirts of the city of Okene[5] in Kogi State.[2] Three men, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, entered the church as a Bible study session was about to begin. One of the men switched off the generator that provided lighting in the church. The other two men then fired into the darkness with their assault rifles. Fifteen people were killed outright and four more died later from their wounds.[5]
No group claimed responsibility for the shooting. Although the Islamist group Boko Haram has attacked Christian churches before, the attack was further south than the group's usual area of operations.[5]
Mosque shooting
On 8 August, three gunmen on motorcycles shot dead two soldiers outside a mosque in Okene. A civilian was also killed by crossfire.[7] The soldiers were on patrol outside the mosque and were fired upon at the end of a prayer session.[8]
Reactions
As the attacks occurred around Okene, on the border between Nigeria's mostly Christian south and mostly Muslim north, they were described as "worrying" for religious tensions in Nigeria. Security forces were deployed to the area[9] and national police chief Mohammed Abubakar ordered 24-hour surveillance on all churches and mosques in Kogi State's central area.[5] Nigerian soldiers and police officers searched for the gunmen through the night following the shooting.[5]
Idris Wada, the Governor of Kogi State, announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in parts of the state. He said, "The perpetrators of the heinous crime are wicked, devilish, ungodly and deserve no place in a sane society. But they will not get away with it this time. We will spare no resource at our disposal to fish out the perpetrators and smoke terrorism out of our state."[9] Wada also visited the Ohinoyi of the Ebira people to express displeasure at the situation in his territory.[10]
Investigation
Residents of the Okene area alleged that in the days following the shooting, police had conducted house-to-house searches, beating a number of civilians. Some citizens were reported to have fled the city. A police spokesman denied any violence had taken place.[11] Several former politicians from the Okene area were brought to Lokoja for questioning related to the attacks.[12]
On 9 August, police announced that they had arrested two men and one woman suspected of perpetrating the church shooting. The three were reportedly arrested following a gunfight with police in Ibillo, Edo State.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "Deadly church attack in central Nigeria". Al Jazeera. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Nigeria church attack in Kogi state 'kills 19'". BBC News. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ Brock, Joe; Muhammed, Garba (7 August 2012). "Gunmen Kill 16 in Central Nigeria Church Attack". The New York Times. Reuters. Retrieved 7 August 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Mshelizza, Ibrahim (17 January 2012). "Christians flee attacks in northeast Nigeria". Reuters. Maiduguri. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Gunmen attack central Nigeria church preparing for Bible study, killing 19 and wounding others". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "Nigeria group threatens more deadly attacks". Al Jazeera. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Gunmen kill three in Nigeria mosque attack". Egypt Independent. Associated Press. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "Nigeria: Mosque Attack Follows Church Shootings". United States: ABC News. Associated Press. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Nigeria Kogi state curfew after church attack". BBC News. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ Bashir, Mohammad; Onogu, Sanni (8 August 2012). "Death toll rises to 20 in Deeper Life Church attack". The Nation. Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "Nigeria police abusing civilians after massacre". Agence France-Presse. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ a b Onogu, Sanni; Bashir, Mohammad; Jibueze, Joseph (9 August 2012). "Three Deeper Life Church attack suspects held in Edo". The Nation. Archived from the original on 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.