An eight-year-old boy was among the eight people who have been confirmed dead from the impact of this morning’s suicide bomb attack on St. Finbar’s Catholic Church, Rayfield, Jos, Plateau State.
Details gleaned by The Eagle Online from the scene of the blast, which is under the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos, had it that it was a twin suicide bombing.
The two suicide bombers were said to have struck at St. Finbar’s, where the former Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs. Paulin Tallen, worships, at about 10.30am.
One of the suicide bombers was said to be inside a car, Opel Vectra, and the other on a motorbike.
They reportedly struck at about the time the First Reading for the 10am Mass was taking place.
It was learnt that this was a few minutes after the Hausa service ended.
While the suicide bomber, who rode in the Opel Vectra, led the way, the one on the motorbike followed closely behind him.
On getting to the entrance of the church, they were prevented from going into the premises.
The suicide bomber in the car, which bore a bomb, was said to have rammed the Opel Vectra into the fence of the church building, which caved in, with the bombs in the car detonating at that instance.
The suicide bomber on the motorbike also followed suit.
The car was torn to pieces by the impact of the explosion, sources at the church told The Eagle Online.
The impact of the blast, it was learnt, resulted in the shattering of the ceiling and windows of the church building.
The windows of the residence of the reverend fathers attached to the church, also located within the premises of the church, were also shattered by the impact of the blasts.
Tallen, who worships at the church, had not arrived for service when the suicide bombers struck.
It was gathered that following the blast, there have been reprisal attacks in the city.
Some residents of Maidiko area of the city, told The Eagle Online that they heard another explosion at the Church of Christ in Nigeria in the area.
This was amid heavy and sporadic shooting in the city as a result of the reprisal attacks.
Security men are all over Jos in the bid to put an end to the reprisal attacks.
So also has the scene of the explosion at St. Finbar’s Catholic Church been cordoned off.