Gunmen Kill Six During Christmas Church Service In Yobe State

Unknown gunmen attacked a church in northern Nigeria during a midnight
mass on Christmas Eve, killing six people including the pastor, before
setting the building ablaze, residents and police said Tuesday.


"A group of gunmen came into the village at midnight and went straight
to the church," said Usman Mansir, a resident of Peri village near
Potiskum, the economic capital of Yobe state.


"They opened fire on them, killing the pastor and five worshippers.
They then set fire to the church," he added, specifying that a branch
of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) was targetted.


A senior police official in Yobe confirmed the details, but declined
to be named.

Yobe police chief Sanusi Rufa'i said "this is a security issue" and
refused to comment further.
Boko Haram Islamists have carried out several attacks in Yobe, which
borders the state of Maiduguri, where the insurgent group is based.


The Islamists are blamed for killing hundreds of people in northern
Nigeria since 2009. It was not clear who was behind the latest
violence.


While Yobe's population is overwhelmingly Muslim, the commercial hub
of Potiskum has a significant Christian minority. Peri is just two
kilometres outside the city.