GOMBE, Nigeria (AP) — A pastor says gunmen have attacked a church in northeast Nigeria, killing at least three people and wounding others.
Johnson Jauro of the Deeper Life Church in Gombe, the capital of Gombe state, said the attack happened around 7 p.m. Thursday. Jauro said he heard gunfire everywhere and lost his wife in the assault on the church.
Police confirmed the attack happened in Gombe, but declined to offer any details.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The assault came as northeast Nigeria has been facing attacks from a radical Muslim sect known as Boko Haram. It wants strict Shariah law to be implemented across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — An army official says soldiers have killed two armed men suspected to be members of a radical sect responsible for a spate of violence in Africa's most populous nation.
Lt. Col. Hassan Mohammed told The Associated Press the two suspected Boko Haram members were killed Thursday morning after resisting arrest in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.
He said the army believes the gunmen were responsible for an attack Wednesday evening that left two people dead.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a state of emergency on Saturday in Maiduguri and other parts of the country most affected by Boko Haram attacks.
The move allows security officers to make arrests without proof and search property without warrants.
Boko Haram was responsible for at least 504 killings in 2011, according to an AP count.
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