Mosque drive-by shooting follows deadly church attack in Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria — A mosque attack that killed two soldiers followed a deadly church attack in central Nigeria, an army official said, adding to insecurity fears that have spread across the West African nation.

Lt. Col. Gabriel Olorunyomi said Wednesday that three gunmen on motorcycles shot dead soldiers on patrol in Okene in Kogi state outside Okene Central Mosque just after Muslim worshippers ended a prayer session.

The assault Tuesday came a day after a church attack in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Okene left 19 Christian worshippers dead.

No group has claimed of responsibility for either attack, but the violence comes as Nigeria struggles with a growing Islamist insurgency known as Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has attacked places of worship in other parts of this nation evenly divided between Muslims and Christians.

The group, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, is held responsible for more than 660 killings this year alone in Nigeria, according to an Associated Press count. Its demands have included the strict implementation of Islamic Shariah law across Nigeria.