Photo: VOMC
Attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria have continued unabated over the years, resulting in even more recently reported cases involving casualties and horrific trauma. Not only were these recent attacks the cause of death for several innocent victims, they have also been the source of physical wounding and emotional trauma for many survivors whose suffering has been further compounded by the devastating loss of loved ones and the destruction of community homes.
In Barkin Ladi County of Plateau State, three Christians were shot dead on May 3rd after being ambushed by Islamic militants. The next day, three others were killed and four injured as attackers opened gunfire and proceeded to lacerate the villagers.
On May 6th, rebel members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked a group of Christians who had been travelling between villages in the southern part of Kaduna state. As a result of this attack, three believers were killed and several others wounded. According to eyewitnesses, the perpetrators asked questions to identify the victims as Christians before executing them.
In yet another separate attack, which took place on May 7th in the village of Otapi-Alpa, Benue State, two Christian farmers were slain – one of them a village leader named Tony Adejoh. Both victims had been working in their fields when they were suddenly ambushed and killed. This latest occurring incident follows a similar attack that took place during the previous month within the same village. As a result of the April 13th attack, ten fatalities had taken place and homes in the community were destroyed. Agbo Kennedy, a member of Benue State's House of Assembly reported that the April attack, which included victims as young as five years old, was "appalling and gory."
Those who manage to escape the violence frequently experience added long-term suffering when they are forced to flee their homes. In cases where entire villages have been destroyed, thousands of survivors seek refuge in the country's Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. A recently released report from Christianity Today features the testimony of one such Christian by the name of Jennifer.
During 2014, Jennifer and her family were forced to flee their home in Gwoza after violent killing sprees committed by Boko Haram terrorists left hundreds of neighbouring Nigerians dead. After fleeing almost 1,000 kilometres, Jennifer, her husband Abraham, and their four children had hoped to settle in the area of Abuja. However, in August 2015, Abraham was tragically killed by a group of unidentified men in the Durumi IDP camp.
Left to raise their children on her own, Jennifer still struggles to provide basic needs such as food and medicine. However, she is determined to leave the camp some day and build a home that her husband would be proud of. "I don't know when, but soon," she says with a glimmer of hope. "God help me...."
Jennifer's story is indicative of the numerous difficulties facing thousands of displaced Nigerians who are seeking to avoid the violence that's so prevalent in various parts of the country. To review further reports concerning the persecution of Christians in this volatile region, including information about the 2014 attacks in Gwoza, see our country report.
- Please remember to prayerfully uphold the families of those who were slain in these more recent attacks, as well as the many others who've experienced physical injuries and emotional trauma.
- Pray for the practical and spiritual needs of the thousands of displaced victims who have been forced to flee their homes, livelihoods and communities – including those who are presently trying to survive amidst the daily challenges of life within the IDP camps or other temporary shelters.
- Pray for governing officials, church leaders and humanitarian workers as they continue to seek lasting solutions to the relentless hardships facing the people of this violence-torn nation.
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