Jos death toll rises
The death toll in Jos, Nigeria, is rising as violence continues. A Christian family of eight was murdered over the weekend, and partners of Release International, a ministry to persecuted Christians, report a further 14 have been killed.
The ongoing violence is taking place in Jos, Central Nigeria. Reuters say Muslim youths hacked a Christian family to death in the village of Tatu, Plateau state. Journalists were shown the bodies of the father, mother and their six children. Reports say three others, believed to be Muslims, were also killed. According to Reuters at least 40 people have been killed in the area since last Monday.
This latest flare–up of religious violence in the state also claimed four other lives in an attack on the Christian village of Dabwak, near Jos, according to the BBC.
The city of Jos straddles the middle ground in Nigeria between the largely Muslim north and the largely Christian south. The city – and the nation – is divided along religious, tribal and political lines, with jockeying for land and resources.
Many Christians have been displaced from Muslim areas, initially in the north, where Sharia – strict Islamic law – has been imposed.
The family of eight were killed in Tatu, where Christians who had been driven from their homes had taken refuge. Release’s partner, the Stefanos Foundation, says the violence broke out after a number of Muslims moved into the largely Christian area to celebrate Eid, an Islamic religious festival.
The BBC says three Muslims and the Christian family of eight were killed. Around 35 were wounded and had to be taken to hospital.
In the escalating violence two churches were burnt down. On Sunday a bomb planted in the marketplace of another village failed to go off because its battery was flat, according to Reuters.
‘Nigeria is a tragedy unfolding before our eyes,’ says Release International CEO Andy Dipper. ‘In some areas, tensions are being fuelled by moves to drive Christians from their homes to create Islamic areas. Inevitably, people have been defending their families and their property.’
According to Release partners, another 14 people are believed to have been killed last night in inter–religious violence in central Nigeria. Meanwhile, in Abuja, Islamist sect Boko Haram has been blamed for the bomb attack at the UN offices on August 26, which killed 23.
Christian and Muslim religious leaders have appealed for peace.
Release is supporting the LoveJos Conference in London on September 24, which is exploring opportunities for reconciliation and ways to help victims of violence. To find out more, please go to the
LoveJos website
Through its international network of missions
Release
serves persecuted Christians in 30 countries around the world, by supporting pastors and Christian prisoners, and their families; supplying Christian literature and Bibles, and working for justice. Release is a member of the UK organisations Global Connections and the Evangelical Alliance.