Via CNN -- Gunmen in northern Nigeria attacked a
church's Christmas Eve services, killing six people and setting the
building on fire, police said.
A pastor was slain in the incident, police said.
It was the latest strike
against Christians in the region. More than 30 people died in a wave of
Christmas Day attacks in the north last year, blamed on Boko Haram, a
militant group that has targeted Christians and Muslims it considered
insufficiently Islamist.
"Suspected members of the
group have bombed or opened fire on worshipers in at least 18 churches
across eight northern and central states since 2010. In Maiduguri, the
group also forced Christian men to convert to Islam on penalty of
death," Human Rights Watch said in an October report.
It is not immediately known if the group was behind the latest attack.
The Christmas attack came
as families whose kin died in last year's killings delivered graveside
prayers for a peaceful holiday period. Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan issued a statement promising better days next year, including
better security.
"Sometimes, challenges
make people doubt the sincerity of government, but I am confident that
God knows everything," he said Sunday.
But residents told CNN that despite assurances of security, they have been attacked again.
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