Diocese of Down & Dromore

Human rights organisation Release International is warning that Christians in Nigeria are 'sitting targets', as news emerges that the family of a priest has been murdered in a machete attack in Jos.

A mob armed with guns and machetes attacked the Christian village of Mazah, on the outskirts of Jos, on Saturday July 17. According to news reports, they killed the wife, two children and grandson of church leader Rev Nuhu Dawat (Church of Christ in Nigeria), and four others. Some reports put the death toll higher. Others were injured.

According to the AFP news agency, the mob attacked the village in the early hours of the morning, firing into the air to draw frightened villagers out of their houses. Those who emerged through their doors they killed. The attackers, identified as members of the Muslim Fulani tribe, also burned down a church and seven houses, says AFP.

This is the latest in a series of attacks against Christian villages near Jos, in Plateau state, which have left hundreds dead. According to local rights groups, 1,500 people have been killed in inter-communal violence in the Jos region since the start of 2010.

‘How many more have to be killed before the Nigerian government acts to do something about this?’ asks

Release

CEO Andy Dipper. Release International is working to help persecuted Christians in Nigeria and around the world.

Plateau state is on the dividing line between the mainly Muslim north and mainly Christian south. Observers fear a push is taking place to drive Christians from the state to pave the way for the expansion of strict Islamic law. 12 northern Nigerian states have so far adopted Sharia law - even though the country has a secular constitution.

‘Christians appear to be sitting targets,’ says Andy Dipper. ‘Church leaders are calling on them to respond with grace and avoid violence, which Release supports. But as we recently reported, Christians are living in fear of further attacks, and the government seems to be doing little to help them. That has to change.

‘Right now, it falls to Christians in the UK and around the world to pray for Nigeria’s Christians, and to take practical action, too. Please lobby your MPs to get their plight raised high on the international agenda, and to press the Nigerian government to protect Christians from further attacks.’

It has been reported that the military have stood by while attacks have taken place, and that some attacks have been carried out by men in military uniform. Last week, Mr Dipper appealed to Nigeria’s president Goodluck Jonathan to take firm action to ensure that the military and police carry out their full responsibilities and protect Christians properly.

Along with religious tensions, tribal and political differences have seen an increasing polarisation between different ethnic groups in Plateau state.

Through its international network of missions Release supports Christians imprisoned for their faith and their families in 30 nations. It supports church workers, pastors and their families, and provides training, Bibles, Christian literature and broadcasts. Release is a member of the UK organisations Global Connections and the Evangelical Alliance.