Nigeria: Blown tire foiled jihadist plot to crash church sanctuary with car, then detonate suicide bomb

“The issue is impunity, as there seems to be no consequence for the violence.”

More on this story. "Targeted Christians: Boko Haram strikes again as a Nigerian church is bombed, killing four," by Mindy Belz for WorldMag, February 29 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

A Sunday morning bombing outside the headquarters of a leading Christian denomination in northern Nigeria exploded what has been a brief season of calm in the Plateau State capital, Jos. The Nigerian-based terrorist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack Sunday, which killed four and severely injured at least 38. In a tactic now familiar to victims of Boko Haram, a suicide bomber loaded a vehicle with explosives, and then drove through the security gate of the Church of Christ in the Nations (COCIN) headquarters, which includes offices, a church, and classrooms. The bomber apparently planned to crash the gate and detonate his vehicle inside the sanctuary, where hundreds had gathered for worship. Instead, the car’s tire blew and the vehicle hit a motorcycle, detonating only yards away from the church building.

The dead include a woman crushed by the vehicle explosion, a woman who only a week ago relocated to Jos after being displaced by similar attacks on Christians in Yobe State farther north, and a an 18-month-old child. [...] "The issue is impunity, as there seems to be no consequence for the violence," said Ann Buwalda, executive director of the Washington-based Jubilee Campaign. “After thousands have been killed, the federal government [in Nigeria] is not doing enough to bring perpetrators to justice.”

Posted by Marisol on March 1, 2012 8:51 PM |