Nigeria’s Catholic bishops have condemned the mass kidnapping of more than 60 Muslims during Friday prayers, calling the escalating violence across the country an “unabated trail of blood and terror”. Source: Crux.
Gunmen stormed the Kpenya Mosque in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State on August 21, after first attacking the nearby villages of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya.
Residents blamed the Lakurawa armed group, a faction notorious for kidnappings, cattle rustling, and forcing captives to accept an extremist version of Islam.
The attack came just a week after a similar assault on a mosque in Sokoto State left at least 32 worshippers dead, including the Imam.
In an August 27 statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria President Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso also expressed sorrow at the killing of 47 people in Ukum, Benue State, saying attacks on places of worship have reached an “intolerable crest.”
“Whether in a mosque, a church, a marketplace, or the quiet of their homes, Nigerians are still being slaughtered, traumatised, and displaced with impunity,” the bishop said.
Emphasising interfaith unity, the clerics stood in “firm solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters”, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted worshippers.
“An attack on any place of worship constitutes an attack on our collective humanity.”
According to Amnesty International, at least 1100 people were abducted in Nigeria between January and April, with survivors frequently reporting torture, starvation, amputation, and rape.
A recent mid-year report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) estimates that 2550 Christians and 1050 moderate Muslims have been killed since January.
The report further details the destruction of 300 churches, the hacking to death of 10 pastors, and the forced conversion of over 800 Christian captives.
Open Doors’ recent World Watch List similarly found that Nigeria accounted for 72 per cent of all Christians killed globally for faith-related reasons.
The CBCN acknowledged recent government efforts but urged political and security leaders to do more until citizens’ safety is guaranteed.
The conference urged the bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, and their sponsors, to “stop the bloodshed! Human life belongs to God alone … You cannot build a future on the tears of innocent persons.”
FULL STORY
Nigerian bishops decry ‘trail of terror’ after latest attacks (By Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux)
