Violence marks Holy Week in Nigeria

Apr 22, 2023

By Ngala Killian Chimtom
On April 8, Fulani herdsmen attacked Mgban in Benue State, located in North Central Nigeria.

“I received a report that about 35 persons were killed [in the attack],” said Fr William Shom, a priest in Yelewata.

The following Wednesday, herdsmen struck the Umogidi community in Benue State, killing at least 50 people. And between Monday and Tuesday, separate attacks in different localities of Benue state left at least six other people dead.

In March, at least 60 Christians were killed by Fulani herdsmen, according to Morning Star News.

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue urged citizens to “remain calm and be security conscious and remain ever vigilant to avoid being killed like chickens.”

Nigeria has a population of over 200 million, almost evenly divided between Christians and Muslims.

Christians face persecution in the Muslim-majority north – where Syariah law has been imposed in several states – and Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” where the Muslim north meets the Christian south.

The Islamist Boko Haram have been operating in the country’s northeast since 2002, and Fulani herdsmen – who are Muslim – have been attacking Christian farming communities throughout the country.

“It has become a norm for a day to not pass without hearing of one or two attacks,” said Fr William Shom.

“This is coming at the perilous time of Christ’s own agony, suffering, and death on the cross,” he added.

In his Easter message, Archbishop Ignatius A. Kaigama of Abuja noted that “from Boko Haram to banditry and kidnapping, the threat of violence and terrorism, the stories are both heart-breaking and fear-inspiring, just as the terrible events of Good Friday were, over 2,000 years ago.”

He said ordinarily, such challenges make it harder “to feel hopeful and optimistic about the present, never mention even the future.”

Kaigama said Easter should be a time for Nigerians “to increase our commitment and vigour in confronting our challenges and difficulties, from insecurity and corruption, to poverty and unemployment.”

“Easter reminds us that even in the face of violence and persecution, love and compassion can triumph,” he said.

“It is a time of renewal, rebirth, and hope [for Nigeria],” Kaigama said. “It is a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the victory of life over death.”

The archbishop warned against ethnic, religious and political division, and called for accountable and transparent leadership, and for honesty and ethics in the behaviour of everyday Nigerians.

“It is only by working together to enthrone a culture of trust, to fight corruption that we can create a Nigeria that is fair and just to all.” --Crux Now