Bomb Blast at Christ Embassy Sule

There has been a bomb blast at the Christ Embassy Church in Suleja near Abuja in which 5 people were injured though there are as yet no reports of casualties.

The bomb exploded from an abandoned car and investigations have commenced," police spokesman Richard Oguche said of the explosion in Suleja which is near the Nigeriaan capital Abuja.

The explosion took place as the church began its service. Police said one of the five injured persons sustained serious injury and has been taken to the hospital while the rest had minor cuts.

A member of the church had noticed a suspicious material in a polythelene bag and alerted the church's security officials who then evacuated all the members to safety before the bomb exploded. The Pastor of the church, Pastor Uyi Idugboi, has confirmed that all members of the congregation escaped unharmed.

The Islamic terrorist sect, Boko Haram, is being suspected although there have been as at yet no claims of responsibility.

The sect, Boko Haram, has killed almost 300 people this year alone and over 500 in 2011 and are calling for a declaration of Shari'a in Nigeria as well as for Southerners to leave the North, however, many people believe that there are political undertones to the Boko Haram insurrection especially as some politicians who lost out in the last elections have made public comments (see tweets below) which tend to show at least some sympathy for Boko Haram.

For example, controversial former minister of the FCT, Malam Nasir Elrufai, has publicly mocked calls by some eminent Nigerians for the government to convene a National Conference were Nigerians can sit to discuss if they wish to remain one nation and how that nation should be run. According to Elrufai, those calling for the conference are "fools at 40 or 70".  Yet after condemning calls for a National Dialogue, the same Elrufai called for the government to dialogue with Boko Haram, givng the impression that dialogue with Boko Haram is more important than dialogue with Nigerians. Some have posited that the subliminal message being passed on is that if you want violence all you have ti do is engage in violence.

Also, former Political Adviser to former Vice President, Malam Bashir Yusuf, who is himself close to Malam Elrufai publicly upbraided the administration for closing Nigeria's borders with Niger republic. It would be recalled that the President closed Nigeria's borders with Niger republic to prevent the inflow of arms and beligerents from that nation. But Bashir Yusuf had publicly sided with the Nigeriens and complained that the action taken by the government of Nigeria to protect itself from Boko Haram could be taken as a declaration of war by Niger and could lead to a pre-emptive attack from that country leading many to ask him where his loyalties lay.