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
Pastor considers legal action after arrest over comments on Islam and transgender ideology
Pastor considers legal action after arrest over comments on Islam and transgender ideology

The Alliance Defending Freedom warns of more such arrests if the government introduces its much-maligned definition of 'anti-Muslim hatred'.

Why do Christians observe Shrove Tuesday?
Why do Christians observe Shrove Tuesday?

17 February 2026 is Shrove Tuesday, the traditional day for eating pancakes before the start of Lent. This is the story …

CoE announces £400,000 to get young people into choirs
CoE announces £400,000 to get young people into choirs

Most CoE choirs currently have no children involved.

Christian social worker who lost job offer over marriage and sexuality beliefs wins appeal
Christian social worker who lost job offer over marriage and sexuality beliefs wins appeal

A Christian social worker whose offer of a job was withdrawn over public comments he made about marriage and sexuality has won his case at appeal.