Reporter: IT WAS A

BEAUTIFUL DAY.

WE CAME TO CHURCH TO

CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF JESUS

CHRIST.

PEOPLE STARTED COMING AS

EARLY AS 6:00 IN THE

MORNING.

IT WAS GOING TO BE A JOYOUS

OCCASION.

[SIRENSIRENS]

Reporter: BUT IT NEVER

TURNED OUT THAT WAY.

A SUICIDE BOMBER IN A

VEHICLE PACKED WITH

EXPLOSIVES DROVE UP THIS

BUSY STREET AND STOPPED IN

FRONT OF THE CHURCH.

HE AND HIS 17-MONTH-OLD SON

HAD JUST WALKED OUT THE

CHURCH FRONT DOORS WHEN THE

BOMB EXPLODED.

THE EXPLOSION THREW ME

BACK AND MY SON WAS HURTLED

TO THE OTHER SIDE.

AROUND ME, I COULD SEE

BODIES ON FIRE.

Reporter: WITHIN

MINUTES, HUSBANDS BECAME

WIDOWERS, WIVES BECAME

WIDOWS, AND CHILDREN'S

BECAME ORPHANS, AND PARENTS

WERE CHILDLESS.

Reporter: THE SUICIDE

BOMBER KNEW PRECISELY WHEN

TO STRIKE.

IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER 8:00

THAT CHRISTMAS MORNING AS

ONE SERVICE WAS JUST

CONCLUDING AND THE NEXT ONE

WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN.

26 OF THE 44 PEOPLE WHO DIED

THAT DAY ATTENDED SAINT

TERESA'S CHURCH.

THE PEOPLE WHO CARRIED

OUT THIS ATTACK HAVE ONLY

EVIL IN THEIR HEART.

Reporter: THE BOKO

HARAM CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY

FOR THIS AND OTHER ATTACKS

IN PARTS OF NIGERIA THAT

DAY.

BOKO HARAM'S GOAL IS TO TURN

AFRICA'S MOST POPULAR NATION

INTO AN ISLAMIC NATION.

IF THEY ARE TRYING TO GET

ME TO RESPOND OUT OF ANGER,

I WILL NOT.

Reporter: HE AND HIS

SON SPENT SEVERAL WEEKS IN

THE HOSPITAL, RECOVERING

FROM THIRD DEGREE BURNS.

TODAY YOU'LL FIND HIM AND

HIS FAMILY PRAYING FOR THEIR

ATTACKERS.

I WANT GOD TO TOUCH THEIR

HEARTS SO THEY WILL KNOW

THAT WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS

NOT GOOD.

Reporter: A SENTIMENT

ECHOED IN FATHER ARCHIE'S

SERMONS ABOUT THE PERSONS OF

FORGIVENESS.

I HAVE PERSONALLY

FORGIVEN THEM, BUT WHAT I

NEED FROM BOKO HARAM IS THEY

REPENT AND TO STOP DOING

THIS.

Reporter: BOKO HARAM

STRUCK 21 TIMES, AND 900

PLUS HAVE DIED IN RECENT

MONTHS IN MULTIPLE ATTACKS

AROUND THE COUNTRY.

200 MILES NORTH OF

STE.THERESEA'S CHURCH --

SO MANY PEOPLE LOVED MY

HUSBAND.

THEY WOULD NOT LET ME SEE

MY FATHER'S BODY.

HE WAS BEYOND RECOGNITION.

Reporter: MARGARET?

HE WAS SHOT IN THE MOUTH

AND THE ELBOW AND THE BACK.

I AM ASKING GOD TO BRING

PEACE TO OUR CITY.

Reporter: BLANKETING

NORTHERN NIGERIA'S MOST

IMPORTANT CITY OF CANO WITH

PRAYER.

ON JANUARY 20th, 26 DAYS

AFTER THE CHRISTMAS DAY

MASSACRE, BOKO HARAM KILLED

185 PEOPLE IN A STRING OF

COORDINATED ATTACKS IN

CANO.

IT WAS THE GROUP'S DEADLY

STRIKE TO DATE.

AMONG THE DEAD WERE THE

LOVED ONES OF THESE

CHRISTIAN FAMILIES.

I CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO

BRING MY HUSBAND BACK.

ALL I CAN DO IS TRUST IN

GOD.

THE BIBLE SAYS WE SHOULD

LOVE OUR ENEMIES AND PRAY

FOR THEM.

Reporter: A BOKO

HARAM'S SPOKESMAN HAS

DECLARED WAR ON NIGERIA'S

GOVERNMENT, THE SECURITY

SERVICES, AND THE COUNTRY'S

CHRISTIANS.

IN A VIDEO RELEASED ON LINE,

HE SAYS, "I ENJOY KILLING

ANYONE THAT GOD COMMANDS ME

TO KILL, THE WAY I ENJOY

KILLING CHICKENS AND RAM."

IN JANUARY, THEY GAVE THE

GROUP THREE DAYS TO LEAVE.

THE CHRISTIANS ARE VS VERY

MUCH ON EDGE.

MANY ARE CONSIDERING THE

IDEA OF LEAVING THE STATE

AND MOVING SOUTH.

WE SPOKE TO SOME OF THEM WHO

ARE VERY FEARFUL AND

CONCERNED THAT THE SECURITY

APPARATUS IS NOT IN A

POSITION TO PROTECT THEM.

NIGERIA IS EVENLY SPLIT

BETWEEN CHRISTIANS IN THE

SOUTH AND MUSLIMS IN THE

NORTH.

CANO IS OVERWHELMING

MUSLIM.

EXTREMIST GROUPS CONTINUALLY

USE THIS AREA AND THE

SURROUNDING AREAS AS A BASE

OF OPERATION.

IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT

TO SHARE THE GOSPEL IN THE

NORTHERN PARTS OF NIGERIA.

Reporter: CBN NEWS

AGREED TO CONCEAL HIS

IDENTITY TO PROTECT HIM.

HE SAYS THE INDIGENOUS

PEOPLE HERE CONSIDER

CHRISTIANS AS INVADERS.

I WAS BORN AND RAISED

HERE, BUT BECAUSE I'M AN

CHRISTIAN, I'M VIEWED AS A

SECOND, THIRD, OR FOURTH

CLASS CITIZEN.

Reporter: HE FEARS BOKO

HARAM IS TRYING TO PROVOKE A

RELIGIOUS WAR.

SOME ARE TAKING MEASURES TO

DEFEND THEMSELVES.

OTHERS RELY ON GOD FOR

PROTECTION AND TAKE COMFORT

IN HIS WORD.

EVEN WHEN I WALK THROUGH

THE VALLEY OF DEATH, I WILL

NOT BE AFRAID, FOR YOU ARE

CLOSE BESIDE ME.

Reporter: GEORGE

THOMAS, CBN NEWS, CANO,

NIGERIA.