Church leaders have strongly condemned a deadly Palm Sunday (March 29) attack by Islamist militants that left at least 29 dead in a Christian-majority community in Plateau State, Nigeria.
“How is it that, even on a sacred day, communities are left exposed to such terror?” questioned Archbishop Daniel Okoh, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Fulani militants dressed in army camouflage and riding motorbikes descended on Angwan Rukuba, a suburb popular with university students about 9 km from Jos city. They reportedly shot indiscriminately and attacked victims with swords. As well as the dead, many were injured.
“A nation cannot keep bleeding like this and expect to move forward,” added Archbishop Okoh, reflecting on the persistent attacks against Christians by Islamist militants in northern and Middle Belt Nigeria.
“We owe the dead justice. We owe the living protection. And we owe our future a country where no community wakes up to gunfire on a sacred day.”
An estimated 45,000 Christians across northern and Middle Belt Nigeria have been killed in Islamist violence since 2009.
Easter, which commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ, is often seen by extremists as a strategic time to target Christians.
How you can pray
Ask the Lord to draw near to the bereaved. Pray that, especially at this time of Easter, they will be comforted knowing that death is not the end but a doorway to eternal life. Ask the Prince of Peace to soften hearts hardened by violence.
