Mob kills 2, burns mosques in raid on Nigerian village

A mob killed two people and burnt mosques and homes in an overnight raid on a mainly Muslim village in northeastern Nigeria in the latest such violence to hit the country, residents said Friday. “It was around 11:30 pm (2230 GMT) when a crowd from Imbur attacked Gwalam village, setting fire on homes and mosques,” resident Abubakar Hussaini said, with Imbur a largely Christian area and Gwalam mainly Muslim. “So far, we have two deaths, and we still don’t know the fate of some residents who fled into the bush to escape the attack.” The attack occurred in Adamawa state, which is to hold a governorship election on January 21. Such ethnic and religious violence often occurs around election periods in Nigeria, though some residents believed the attack was in retaliation for the recent killings of Christians in the state claimed by Islamist group Boko Haram.
Gamo Jika, an official in the state for one of Nigeria’s main Islamic organisation, Jama’atu Nasri Islam, confirmed two were killed. “We have two dead from the attack on Gwalam by some Christians. We are taking inventory of houses burnt in the attack,” he said. Adamawa state police spokeswoman Altine Daniel confirmed the attack but gave no details. Imbur and Gwalam villages are located in Numan, a flashpoint of sectarian violence. Nigeria has seen spiralling violence mostly blamed on Boko Haram, whose recent attacks targeting Christians have sparked fears of a civil conflict in a country roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and mostly Christian south. Meanwhile, a nationwide strike and mass protests shut down Nigeria for a fifth day running Friday, but union leaders called for a weekend pause in demonstrations as talks sought to avert a halt in oil production.
A first round of negotiations between labour leaders and top government officials, including President Goodluck Jonathan, failed to reach a deal on Thursday night over soaring fuel prices, but more talks are set for Saturday. Union officials said the pause in talks until then was to allow for labour officials from across the country to gather in Abuja and meet on the way forward. With domestic flights grounded, they would be forced to come by road. The main oil workers’ union has threatened to shut crude production beginning on Sunday if the government does not reverse a move that ended fuel subsidies on January 1, more than doubling pump prices in Africa’s top crude exporter.