Thousands of Christians took part in a peaceful march against rising Islamist violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt on 21 April, as the death toll in the latest slaughter rose to 72.
Suspected Fulani Islamist militants carried out assaults on Christian communities in Ukum and Logo Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Benue State on 17 April and into Good Friday 18 April.
Initially, it was feared 56 people had been killed; however, the number climbed to 72 as more bodies were recovered from the bush.
Peaceful protesters in Jos call for an end to the killings [Image credit: The Guardian Nigeria]
“We are under siege as a state, we are under attack,” said Benue State governor Hyacinth Alia after he attended a church service on 21 April. “They come, they drag people out, they kill to occupy.”
He added, “A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his ethnicity or his religion. Criminality is criminality period. So whoever commits it is a terrorist and he should not be where the living are.”
Just as Governor Alia was speaking, demonstrators in neighbouring Plateau State expressed anger and grief over renewed anti-Christian violence that claimed more than 100 lives in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs in the first two weeks of April.
Thousands marched peacefully through the state capital Jos to Government House, many carrying placards that read “The ground cries blood”, “We deserve to live”, and “No more silence, peace now”.
“We are tired of mass burials,” said Pastor Amos Mozho, chairman of the Denominational Leaders Forum, which organised the rally. “Enough is enough,” he added.
Pastor Mozho rejected claims that the attacks were communal farmer-herder clashes, stating the violence was a coordinated onslaught against the people of Plateau.
“This is not a communal crisis,” he insisted. “It is a brutal campaign against innocent lives in Plateau.”
How you can pray
Pray for all those who have been bereaved, injured or displaced by the ongoing violence in Middle Belt, Nigeria. Ask the Lord to restore the bodies, minds and spirits of His persecuted people. Pray for protection for everyone at risk of attack, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Ask that peace is restored to this troubled region.
