Nigeria: 'Government must show it cares about the weak' says Archbishop

The Nigerian government needs to do more to protect vulnerable people, the Archbishop of Jos has said following a blast that killed at least 40 people in the city on Thursday evening.

Archbishop Ben Kwashi told the BBC that the majority of the victims were poor, and urged President Goodluck Jonathan's government to increase its protections.

"Government must step up, to show that it cares about the weak, about the poor, about those who have no means at all in the society," he said.

Kwashi also added that the bombers did not represent the views of the majority of Nigerian Muslims.

Two bombs exploded near a bus station in Jos on Thursday evening, with the second killing at least 40 people, witnesses have reported.

Casualties from the first blast could not immediately be ascertained and Nigerian security sources could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bomb blasts that bore the hallmarks of Islamist Boko Haram militants killed 118 people in the same area of Jos in May.

"I saw a flash of light and heard a loud boom. Afterwards there was debris everywhere and mutilated bodies," witness Tanko Mohammed said of the blast in Jos's commercial Terminus district. A Reuters reporter counted 11 bodies at one bomb site and 29 at the other.

Boko Haram is a Sunni jihadist movement that has been waging a five-year insurgency to establish an Islamist state in the northeast of the country.

President Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three northeastern states last year. The number of attacks has risen sharply since then, in the run-up to elections in February 2015.

The latest blasts came as both Jonathan's ruling party and the main opposition coalition agreed on candidates to contest the elections, in which security is likely to be a major campaign issue. Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari will be challenging Jonathan at the polls for the second time.

(Additional reporting by Reuters)

related articles
Archbishop Ben Kwashi: Boko Haram terrorism is due to Islamic extremism, not poverty
Archbishop Ben Kwashi: Boko Haram terrorism is due to Islamic extremism, not poverty

Archbishop Ben Kwashi: Boko Haram terrorism is due to Islamic extremism, not poverty

Nigeria: Female suicide bomber kills at least 12 in suspected Boko Haram attack
Nigeria: Female suicide bomber kills at least 12 in suspected Boko Haram attack

Nigeria: Female suicide bomber kills at least 12 in suspected Boko Haram attack

Nigerian Archbishop on Boko Haram: We must storm the heavens with prayers
Nigerian Archbishop on Boko Haram: We must storm the heavens with prayers

Nigerian Archbishop on Boko Haram: We must storm the heavens with prayers

Bombs, gunfire kill 81 at crowded mosque in suspected Boko Haram attack
Bombs, gunfire kill 81 at crowded mosque in suspected Boko Haram attack

Bombs, gunfire kill 81 at crowded mosque in suspected Boko Haram attack

Christian Association of Nigeria condemns mosque bomb attack
Christian Association of Nigeria condemns mosque bomb attack

Christian Association of Nigeria condemns mosque bomb attack

200 inmates released in Nigerian prison raid
200 inmates released in Nigerian prison raid

200 inmates released in Nigerian prison raid

News
Pope seeks prayers for peace in Christmas Day message
Pope seeks prayers for peace in Christmas Day message

The Pope asked people to pray in particular for the "tormented people of Ukraine" in his Christmas Day 'Urbi et Orbi' message. 

Who was St Stephen and why is he remembered on December 26?
Who was St Stephen and why is he remembered on December 26?

The carol says, “Good King Wenceslas last looked out on the Feast of Stephen.” In many countries, December 26, also known as Boxing Day, is better known as St Stephen’s Day. Stephen was the first Christian martyr. This is the story …

King Charles reflects on pilgrimage, reconciliation and hope in Christmas Day address
King Charles reflects on pilgrimage, reconciliation and hope in Christmas Day address

King Charles III used his Christmas Day speech to reflect on the significance of pilgrimage as he appealed to the nation "to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation". 

2 Timothy 3:16 is Logos' Bible verse of the year, Matthew was the most studied book
2 Timothy 3:16 is Logos' Bible verse of the year, Matthew was the most studied book

One of the most-studied Bible verses of the year is from 2 Timothy in the New Testament, according to an analysis of millions of Bible study sessions that tracked how believers worldwide are engaging with Scripture.