Less than 10 days after a series of deadly bombings targeting churches during Christmas services in Nigeria an Islamist group has demanded Christians leave the Muslim-majority north within three days or be killed.
(CNN) — The militant Islamist group Boko Haram has issued an ultimatum giving Christians living in northern Nigeria three days to leave the area amid a rising tide of violence there.In the wake of the Christmas attacks, Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency and the US Embassy in Abuja issues a warning that upmarket hotels in the Nigerian capital could be targeted by terrorists.
A Boko Haram spokesman, Abul Qaqa, also said late Sunday that Boko Haram fighters are ready to confront soldiers sent to the area by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday.
“We will confront them squarely to protect our brothers,” Abul Qaqa said during a telephone call with local media. He also called on Muslims living in southern Nigeria to “come back to the north because we have evidence they will be attacked.”
The death toll from the coordinated Christmas attacks in the northern cities of Gadaka and Damaturu as well as the church attack in the suburb of Abuja had risen to 37 as of New Year's Day.
Boko Haram, which has stepped up its attacks against police and Christians in Nigeria's north in recent years, claimed responsibility for both the Christmas attacks and a series of coordinated attacks in early November targetting churches, police stations, banks and government offices in the northern city of Damaturu that killed 67.
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