Churches in Nigeria are using bomb detectors at the door and preventing women from bringing bags inside in a bid to increase security after a barrage of attacks.

In the latest incident, three people were killed outside a church in Maiduguri last Tuesday (7 June) when a bomb thrown at the building missed its target and landed back on the street where it detonated. In a separate incident on the same day, a Christian preacher and one of his secretaries were shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles.

Christians and churches have come under sustained attack since the re-election of Christian President Goodluck Jonathan in April, supporters of defeated Muslim candidate Muhammadu Buhari have been taking out their anger on Christian communities, mainly in the North of the country. At least 194 churches were burnt or destroyed, over 1,200 houses were razed and at least 800 people are estimated to have been killed in the riots.

Barnabas Fund received an update last week from a Nigerian lawyer who is visiting Christian communities that were affected by the violence. He described the tight security in Jos, where convoys of military vehicles are patrolling the streets, and said churches were taking extra precautions; ushers are deploying bomb detectors and not allowing women to bring bags or purses inside.

He said of another city:

Everywhere I go I am told of the town simply now described as ‘no church left standing’.

Islamist sect Boko Haram is believed to have been behind a series of bombings in the wake of President Jonathan’s re-election. The group claimed responsibility for blasts carried out hours after the president’s inauguration on Sunday 29 May; 16 people were killed in the explosions in Bauchi, Zuba, Zaria and Maiduguri. The timing of those bombings sends an ominous message to President Jonathan as he begins his first full four-year term; the former vice president took over the presidency in May 2010 upon the death of Umaru Yar’Adua.

After his election victory was declared, President Jonathan warned that the persistent post-election violence could threaten the stability of the country. In his inauguration address, he made reference to the “senseless wave of violence in some parts of the country” following the election and made a strong call for unity. He said:

Today, our unity is firm, and our purpose is strong. Our determination unshakable. Together, we will unite our nation and improve the living standards of all our peoples whether in the North or in the South; in the East or in the West. Our decade of development has begun. The march is on. The day of transformation begins today. We will not allow anyone exploit differences in creed or tongue, to set us one against another.

Nigeria, which is divided along religious lines with a majority-Muslim North and a predominantly Christian South, has been plagued by outbreaks of sectarian violence in recent years. Commentators say that President Jonathan will have to tackle the North-South rivalry, which, as the latest attacks highlight, is a very tall mountain to climb.

Source: Barnabas Fund Updated 14 June, 2011