Nigerian church blast prompts new security measures

Authorities in Nigeria have adopted a series of measures intended to prevent a repeat of Sunday's suicide bombing of a Catholic church in the town of Jos. Security chiefs, government officials and religious leaders decided at a meeting in Plateau state that they would no longer allow vehicles near places of worship, the Daily Trust of Abuja, Nigeria, reported Wednesday. They also ordered all vehicles to be checked before entering public buildings and called on residents to cooperate with the new security measures. The church bombing and subsequent reprisal attacks claimed the lives of 19 people, officials said. Police Commissioner Emmanuel Ayeni said the ban on vehicles would include those driven by clerics. He called on all religious leaders to abide by the measure. The situation in Jos was reported tense with university students holding a march to protest an attack Monday on two students.