Nigeria Fears More Church Attacks Likely

December 27, 2011

On Christmas Day, bomb attacks destroyed three churches in central Nigeria, killing more than two dozen people. According to Mission Network News, the bombings and other recent attacks show that the militant, al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group Boko Haram has become more organized in its goal to create the most possible fear and chaos among Christians. Boko Haram's attacks are representative of the tensions between Nigeria's mostly Muslim north and majority-Christian south, and church leaders in the most vulnerable areas fear the government is leaving them to fend for themselves. "What [Boko Haram] wants is really sharia law all across Nigeria," said Jerry Dykstra of Open Doors USA. "I think it does not bode well for next year because there could be a civil war in Nigeria, and that could have tremendous repercussions."