Pray for the church in Nigeria
As we anticipate the Bishop's Bible Week with Archbishop Ben Kwashi, (Jos, Nigeria) please pray for him and for our brothers and sisters in the Nigerian church.
The BBC reports that Nigerian authorities have stepped up security across the north of the country, following 2 days of violence in which at least 100 people have died.
Soldiers have set up road blocks and imposed dusk-to-dawn curfews in the worst affected areas of Yobe, Kano and Borno States.
Islamist militants staged attacks on police and government offices.
There have been reports of youths armed with machetes and guns killing police officers and civilians at random.
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Nigeria's military and police have been ordered to use all means necessary to contain the violence.
Security is said to have been particularly beefed up in Plateau State, of which Jos is the capital, where hundreds were killed in clashes between Muslims and Christians last year.
To date, Nigerian Christian leaders said they had received no reports of Christians being targeted in this wave of Islamist violence.
"As things stand, there is no report of Christians being killed or churches being attacked, but religious leaders have called on the government to protect law-abiding citizens and religious structures," said Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, chairman of the Social Communications Commission of the Nigerian bishops' conference.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also expressed his concern over the reports.
Ban "condemns the unnecessary loss of human life and the destruction of property as a result of militant attacks," his spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in response to a question." He hopes that those behind the attacks would be identified and brought to justice in accordance with the law."