Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Five killed by gunmen in Plateau state


According to Nigerian officials, five people have been killed and 10 injured in two unconnected attacks. Unidentified gunmen shot dead five villagers in an overnight attack on Rim, situated 50km south of Jos in Plateau state.

Nine people were injured in the city of Jos, following a blast outside a venue where football fans had been watching the Chelsea-Barcelona match. One other person was also injured in the attack on Rim.

Over the last couple of months, Jos has seen a number of inter-communal conflicts and Islamist militant attacks carried out by Boko Haram. These most recent explosions in Jos were recorded in the northern suburb of Tudun Wada, a predominantly Christian residential area.

Speaking to the BBC, a local police spokesman Samuel Dabai said the authorities are still investigating the cause of the blast, which injured nine. The explosions occurred when scores of people were leaving a TV viewing centre at the end of the Champions League semi-final.

Plateau state is situated between Nigeria's mainly Muslim north and Christian and animist south. The conflict between the two communities is on-going and violence is a common occurrence, especially in Jos.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, AFP

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

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