A man suspected to have been in company of the suicide bomber who struck a church in Jos on Sunday was killed in error by fellow worshippers as he was actually a church member and not an attacker, relations and authorities said yesterday.
Mr. Adams Joseph Ashaba was lynched to death on the suspicion that he came along with the bomber and tried to escape just after the explosion at the Church of Christ in Nigeria headquarters.

But the Special Task Force and the deceased’s relations yesterday said the late Ashaba went to the church along with his wife and two children to worship on Sunday, and he was mistaken to be together with the suicide bomber.

“(The) alleged suicide bomber killed by the angry youths at the premises of the church on 26 Feb 2012 was identified as Adams Joseph Ashaba, a member of the church and not a suicide bomber as alleged,” spokesman for STF, Cpt. Mdahelya Markus, said in a statement in Jos yesterday.

A cousin of the late Ashaba, Mr. Julius Autahaa, who spoke to newsmen on behalf of the family, confirmed that the body of the person he saw at the mortuary, brought by security agents on Sunday, was that of Ashaba.

He said Ashaba went to the church with his family and that when the blast occurred, the wife quickly took the children home and came back to look for her husband.

But she could not find him and so contacted other members of his family, he added.

Autahaa said yesterday morning, somebody called them to come to the Jos University Teaching Hospital to identify a corpse.

“When we got there, we were able to identify that he was our cousin who works at Spring Bank, through his nails since his face was battered,” he said.

“We wanted to claim the body but we were directed to the STF because we were told we could not claim the body as he was one of the suspects in yesterday’s bombing.”

He described his late cousin as light complexioned and of average height, just like the corpse.

Ashaba’s colleague at the Jos branch of Enterprise Bank, Nasiru Bala, who went to the mortuary to inspect the corpse, also said it was that of Ashaba.

He said identified the corpse by the size of the head.

The COCIN church said at a separate briefing yesterday that one of the people injured in the blast later died in hospital, bringing to four the number of its members killed by the bombing.

The church said at least 50 people, including state Information commissioner Mr. Abraham Yiljab, church warden Mr. Alhamis Gukas and Appolos Dabwang, were injured and are now being treated in different hospitals in Jos.

President of COCIN, Rev. Soja Bewarang, said the church could have suffered more casualties if key elders like Governor Jonah Jang, Gen. Joshua Dogonyaro, Senator John Shagaya and Chief Solomon Lar were around.

The youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, YOWICAN, in a statement, said “our conclusion is that this is a well-crafted strategy by fundamentalist Islamic leaders and politicians to destabilise Nigeria as the serial attacks on Christians is often punctuated by isolated cases of attacks on Muslims to create a false impression that the attacks are against all of us.”

Member of the House of Representatives Suleiman Kwande, in a statement, condemned the attack and appealed for calm.

The COCIN church premises became a centre of attraction yesterday as people queued up to be allowed entrance to see the damages created by the blast.

The Jos killing of a church member on suspicion of him being a bomber came few weeks after a Kaduna State director was similarly shot when he was mistaken for a suicide bomber.

Pastor Isuwa Kiforo, a director in the Kaduna state Information ministry, was driving in to the government house when he was shot because he failed to stop for security checks. Days later, Kiforo died of injuries he sustained in the shooting.


http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155762:jos-church-member-killed-in-error-relations-say&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

As usual!! sad tale.Always quick to violence and there you have it another innocent family suffering.Courtesy the lord said a thief caught in your house can be killed even where you are not sure he is a thief.
Jungle justice and its adverse effect on the innocent party!!!!

Result of hasty judgment! Jungle justice does nt pay

But I heard in another version of the news that the man killed was wearing the same military camouflage with the suicide bomber sitting at the passenger front seat and jumped out after the bomb exploded, which one to believe now?

So they don't even know their members.

This is so sad. Brought some of the back and forth arguments on the other thread into perspective.

Like I said there, the biggest tragedy is that erstwhile normal people run the risk of becoming like the same people terrorizing their lives. Just like Al-Qaeda forced America to become a more jittery nation post 9-11, Boko Haram is succeeding here too.

Very sad Development if it's true.

And CAN president wants us to all have guns!!!

Where are all the blood thirsty ingrates screaming, justifying his execution from the other thread  

Feral Bastards  

walex2:

But I heard in another version of the news that the man killed was wearing the same military camouflage with the suicide bomber sitting at the passenger front seat and jumped out after the bomb exploded, which one to believe now?

Well from the OP its reported the STF and family had discussed his likely involvment and it is more of mob gone wild and friendly fire.Better still jungle justice.Hasty conclusions and inconsiderations to warnings.An eye witness in other reports suggested the worshippers actually caught him and argued over if they should kill him.It's likely he was dazed by the explosion and someone from possibly a wrong angle thought he was with the vehicle that carried out the attack.unfortunately he paid the ultimate price in the hands of his own people.Did you see the guy in military uniform in the pictures posted.They had stripped him and one could hardly suggest they had any evidence of uniform.ESpecially where they are know to keep such photos to justify there position.They snapped the damaged buildings,dismemebered body part and the suspects body laying dead and nude.So who took the uniform off?Where did they hide it and why have they failed to show it to the world.

Shame and guilty won't let them comment on this thread despite the fact that it made it to the front page. Only @kobojunkie was making sense on the thread that reported the murder in the church premise by Christians faithful. I know that all are reading this thread but why not say something? @

So sad news. Problems and confusions everywhere and all what oga Jonathan can do is to vomit rubbishes and order blunders policies everyday. No security nothing good on board. God have mercy !!!

Clearly, aside the SSS, it appears The Nigerian Security System is unreliable. I personally find it difficult that the mob will attack a christian or COCIN church member. I am sure the dead body shown is that of the church member affected by the Bomb Blast.
Why Am I sure? Those that attend COCIN church are mostly from Plateau State, few from Benue, Kaduna and Nasarawa States. Also, during religious-toned mob action, you will quickly call the name of Jesus or speak the native language or recite memory verse if you are a christian and confronted by christian mob and you will be set free. If you are moslem and its a Muslim Mob, they look to see if you have the praying mark on your forehead or you recite some passages from Quran.you are hardly killed by mob of the same faith!

I posted this article twice in the general section, hoping that the moderators will bring it to the front page to no avail. The first post seems to have been deleted. I suspect some prank plays on nairaland. thank you rabzy01 for bringing it to the fore. This Boko haram saga is becoming clearer by the day. Allah is exposing the treacheries of the true enemies of nigeria.

What a news?! Do u guys mean that amongst the church members who ganged up to kill a fellow church member, non of them could identify him? Can it also be true that he was not interrogated before he was killed? Will it also be true that this man could not say anything to identify himself as a defence even at the instance of death? What kind of stories and lies are these? Please, Nairalanders, what a story?!

middle belters . . . . . .the spirit of their forefathers are on them

pure lies, you want to tell me dat d victim could not utter a word dat he was not a Muslim? na capital lie be dis.

df2006:

pure lies, you want to tell me dat d victim could not utter a word dat he was not a Muslim? na capital lie be dis.

Do you know the meaning of jungle justice? I guess you dont ooohhhhh

I want to believe that all those bigots that said the guy should rot in hell thinking he was a Muslim will now eat their words.

How are we sure that the guy was not actually with the bomber as was first reported, at least members of the same COCIN attempted to bomb their church in bauchi. If that pastor that was killed in kaduna had been a Muslim and was a permanent secretary or even the deputy governor, some bigots would have sworn that he was a terrorist and deserved to die.

The earlier we look at this security challenge we are facing as what it is and get our government to wake up to their responsibility of protecting lives and property, the better for all of us

If you look carefully at the guy's lifeless body after Christian faithful mobs had killed him, you will realise that the guy had been badly affected by the blast. This could have easily affected his voice and strenght to talk or protest. Even his relations couldn't identify him by his face. Do we have faith in Nigeria? No! We only have religions. If not, there wouldn't have been instant killing by the Christian faithfuls right inside the church even without verifying first. Who knows, may be the guy was even one of faceless Christian BH we've been shouting about. Allah will continue to expose all Christians who are giving Islam a bad name to promote their own religion. Amin.

df2006:

pure lies, you want to tell me dat d victim could not utter a word dat he was not a Muslim? na capital lie be dis.

Kabai:

What a news?! Do u guys mean that amongst the church members who ganged up to kill a fellow church member, non of them could identify him? Can it also be true that he was not interrogated before he was killed? Will it also be true that this man could not say anything to identify himself as a defence even at the instance of death? What kind of stories and lies are these? Please, Nairalanders, what a story?!

Do you dolts mean to tell me that no innocent person has ever been lynched to death a mob in Nigeria before?

It's rather difficult to tell your tale when someone's foot is removing your front teeth. I don't expect you cretins to understand sha.

It logically means the guy who died during the blast was also a fellow Xtian. Their plan was not to commit sucide but to explose the car and run way, unfortunately that day was not for the thieves but for the owners. This happened the day another group members of the same church did not succeed to carry a similar attack at Bauchi. So many questions going thru my minds. SSS over to you: this may lead to,

A man suspected to have been in company of the suicide bomber who struck a church in Jos on Sunday was killed in error by fellow worshippers as he was actually a church member and not an attacker, relations and authorities said yesterday.
Mr. Adams Joseph Ashaba was lynched to death on the suspicion that he came along with the bomber and tried to escape just after the explosion at the Church of Christ in Nigeria headquarters.

Where are all those who posted COMMENTS SANCTIONING THE KILLING . . . . and those who went as far as to claim the Killing was justified by Bible.

Some eejit even called me names for suggesting that Church members ought to be held to higher standards.

See wetin don happen now. WOW . . . . not only was a man murdered OUT OF HATE but an INNOCENT man who happens to be one of them for that matter.

Leadership online news needs to at least apologize for the false reporting too

http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/17445/2012/02/26/worshippers_kill_suspected_fleeing_church_bomber.html

Just thinking, What of if this man had turned out to be a Muslim Soldier as was initially and clearly purported!. The story would have definitely been different. No one on nairaland would agree He had nothing to do with the bombing, but despite the clear story of someone wearing a miliary uniform and allowing the bomber access, no one agrees He had anything to do with the bombing again, because He actually turned out to be a christian. If I might add the 2 stories together, then it appears the man works for a "CHRISTIAN BOMBING ORGANISATION". , Just thinking

^^^ if you have problem with the English language, admit it, rather than posting BUBBLE-BRAINED retorts on an already clear story.

People should stop risking their lives by going to churches most especially in those Danger Prone Northern States.

Don't expect many replies to this thread! Even the other bomber was not a Muslim. I kinda believe these bombings are not only taken by BH members. I swear with Almighty God that non-Muslims too are involved. Yet it's only the Muslims that constantly bear blame. May God expose them all and foil more of their plans, amin.

Me, no dey lie, sam, sam,

What about this:
Christians tried to bomb church in Bauchi, police say
Eight Christian men were arrested yesterday attempting to detonate explosives at a church in Miya Barkatai village of Toro Local Government Area in Bauchi State, witnesses and Police said.

,  the men came with explosive devices and tried to set them off in the COCIN Church but they were overpowered by locals who handed them to security men.
State Police Commissioner Mr Ikechukwu Ayo Aduba confirmed the incident. “It is true that some people attempted to attack COCIN Church. There are rival groups within the church; they have their own internal problem and the other rival group decided to attack the church this morning.
The North East zonal chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Reverend Shua’ibu Mbyal said the incident was over the transfer of the COCIN church headquarters.

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155607:christians-tried-to-bomb-church-in-bauchi-police-say&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

ANOTHER ONE:
Woman nabbed for attempting to set church ablaze in Bauchi
A middle aged woman has been arrested and kept under the custody of Bauchi Police Command for allegedly attempting to set St. John’s Cathedral Church situated along Yandoka Road in the Bauchi State capital ablaze.

The Catechist of the church, Mr. John Daniel, said he was at the residence of the priest of the church when the incident occurred. Daniel who identified the suspect as one Lydia Joseph, who was converted by the Charismatic Renewal Ministry of the church said: “She used to come and fellowship with us but she is not a member of the church.”

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74369%3Awoman-nabbed-for-attempting-to-set-church-ablaze-in-bauchi&catid=137%3Anews&Itemid=19

muhsin:

Don't expect many replies to this thread! Even the other bomber was not a Muslim. I kinda believe these bombings are not only taken by BH members. I swear with Almighty God that non-Muslims too are involved. Yet it's only the Muslims that constantly bear blame. May God expose them all and foil more of their plans, amin.

No this bombing was definitely done by Boko Haram. Only thing is the man who the church members caught trying to escape for his life, was a church member who happened to be outside when the bombing happened. That explains quite a lot of the discrepancies between the report from Leadershipng and the other articles.

Christian terrorist lost in combat . Died from friendly fire.