Christians killed in Nigeria attack

At least eight people have been hacked to death in a predominantly Christian village in central Nigeria, an army spokesman has said. Seven houses and a church were burned in Mazzah village, near the city of Jos, the scene of previous acts of sectarian violence. "Seven people were killed instantly with machetes while three others were seriously injured. One of them died on the way to the hospital," Lieutenant Colonel Kingsley Umoh told the AFP news agency. He said ethnic Fulani Muslims entered the village and began firing into the air to lure sleeping residents outside their homes early on Saturday morning. Residents of Mazzah told the Reuters news agency that many of the victims were the family of a priest, including his wife, two children and grandson. Reverend Nuhu Dawat himself survived the attack.