Nigeria: Gunmen Kill 8, Kidnap 38 after Attacks on 2 Churches

On Sunday, gunmen killed 8 people and kidnapped 38 others in an attack on two churches in northern Kaduna, Nigeria.

This statement came according to an official from the Christian Association of Nigeria on Monday, two weeks after a similar attack in southwestern the country.

The head of the association, Reverend Danlami Jagiri, said by phone that the attack took place during daytime services at a Baptist church and a Catholic church on Sunday.

A state police spokesman and Kaduna Internal Security Commissioner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gunmen with AK-47 rifles and explosives attacked the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town two weeks ago, killing 40 people.

The government suspects that the West African branch of the Islamic State terrorist group is behind the attack; however, the organization did not claim responsibility for it.

Nigeria is still fighting a 12-year-long jihadist insurgency in its northeast and heavily armed criminal gangs often proceed raids and mass kidnappings in the northwest.

Large attacks in the country’s southwest are relatively rare although kidnappings have become increasingly common.