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A series of coordinated attacks on African Christian communities in Nigeria’s Plateau State over recent weekends have left many dead and injured. The various news reports provide conflicting information about some basic facts - number of attackers - sequence of events - an accounting of the dead - but they all agree on the severity of the attacks. Information from news sources state 50 of the 90 killed in one incident were from a single church in Maseh village. Sources report that rebels from the Boko Haram surrounded the church and set it on fire. As the church burned the assailants waited and killed anyone trying to escape. The spokesperson for Boko Haram, Abul Qaqa, claimed responsibility and guaranteed that there would be more attacks on Christians as they attempt to establish total control and Islamize the region. Boko Haram has essentially declared war in Jos and its surrounding area. Our prayers and support for Nigerian Christians have never been more critically needed.
Pray: for Nigerian Christians to be surrounded and held tenderly by God and to be continually aware of His unfailing love for them. (Ps.13)
More: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/pray/prayer-updates/2012/%297-July/Nigeria-is-becoming-genocide
Nigeria: Muslim youths attack churches and house Another attack against Nigerian Christians north of Joshas has taken place. Two churches and a pastor's home were destroyed. In this most recent event as many as 100 young Muslims came onto church property attacking people and burning down the buildings. This attack mostly went under the radar because no one was killed. Not all violence stems from religious causes. According to ABC News ethnic tensions prevail between the Berom group (deemed mostly Christian) and the largely-Muslim Hausa and Fulani groups. Additional access to oil revenues contributes to political tensions throughout the country. Though all attacks may not stem from religious differences they cause much strife and hurt in victims' lives. Pray: that Christians will continue to respond in a positive spirit of forgiveness and perpetrators of violence will be caught and prosecuted. (Is.59:20-21)
Nigeria's Boko Haram has been accused of crimes against humanity. In a country where college students are lynched in tough neighbourhoods, the most depraved killers are still not considered terrorists by the State Department. The group is one of the deadliest organizations in Africa, accused of killing at least 1,500 people between June 2009 and September 2012. Its victims are the Police, Christians and Muslims it sees as betraying the true faith. They sabotage oil pipelines, take down automated teller machines and rip up telephone lines in a violent jihad against the West. This week clashes intensified between Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces as the government claimed credit for killing the group’s spokesman. Meanwhile, a series of explosions rocked the northern city of Maiduguri – thought to be more work of Boko Haram. Boko Haram’s name translates into ‘Western education is a sin.’
Pray: that Boko Haram would be designated a terrorist organization and for the world to understand there is a need for more protection of innocent Nigerian lives. (Ps.34:6,7)
Muslim extremists from the Boko Haram sect killed Rev. David Usman, 45, and church secretary Hamman Andrew in Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state. They were the latest casualties in an upsurge of Islamic militancy that has engulfed northern Nigeria this year, resulting in the destruction of church buildings and the killing and maiming of Christians who are full of dread over the violence. Boko Haram seeks to impose sharia (Islamic law) on northern Nigeria, and Christians have become targets of Muslim militants. Believers no longer feel free in their city, and most churches no longer carry out worship service for fear of becoming targets of these unprovoked attacks. Nigeria’s Christians make up 51.3 percent of the population and live mainly in the south, and Muslims live mainly in the north. Also, Compass Direct reported on June 14th, ‘Christian Communities in Northern Nigeria are disappearing as Islamist attacks drive Christians from northern villages’
Pray: God would cause the Nigerian government to face up to the challenge of Boko Haram and provide protection for innocent communities. (Ps.5:10-12)
More: http://www.charismamag
Since Sunday there has been a massive military operation as the Nigerian Navy starts flushing out crude oil thieves who are bleeding the country’s oil industry through illegal bunkering. The Navy deployed eight warships, six gunboats and three helicopters, including aircraft used for maritime patrol by the Air Force. Oil theft in the Niger Delta on a daily basis, costs the government five billion US dollars in oil revenue annually. Thieves also engage in social responsibilities by building roads, hospitals, schools and engage in community development projects to protect their interests in local communities. Security sources suspect influential Nigerians are behind the operations of oil thieves who are usually heavily armed. Often the ruptured pipelines are not detected by affected oil companies. Foreign collaborators help the thieves to sell the crude oil and also procure arms which are then smuggled into the country.
Pray: this military operation will not only be successful, but lead to more strategic coordinated action against corruption. (Ps.12:5)
On Monday Fulani militants killed seven unarmed youths in Imande Dem, which is in the Guma local government area of Benue state. The youths, who were ethnic Tiv, a predominantly Christian group native to Benue, had reportedly been trying to recover the bodies of two others who had allegedly been killed previously by the same Fulanis. Also on Monday, an attack in Jol, which is south of Jos city in Plateau state, left ten people dead. We are asked to pray for those bereaved and traumatised by these violent attacks. May the communities affected by these killings be united against intolerance.
Pray: for all working tirelessly to support communities affected by violence, may they restore people's hope. May God guide, sustain and strengthen them as they repair broken walls. (Is.58:12)
More: http://www.releaseinternational.org/nigeria-militants-kill-unarmed-youths/
Refugees say Islamic extremists threatening a bloodbath are forcing thousands of people from villages in northern Nigeria where the fighters have regrouped following a month-long military crackdown. People who escaped through the bush to the Borno state capital of Maiduguri say the Boko Haram terrorist network have also written letters warning government workers to resign their jobs or face death. Some villagers fled to neighbouring Cameroon. In a separate operation in Kano state police say they have rounded up 400 migrants and are deporting those who do not have the necessary documents. A state of emergency and military and police crackdown since May 14 have failed to crush the extremists blamed for the killings of more than 1,600 people since 2010. Meanwhile Amnesty International received credible reports that the authorities in the State of Edo in southern Nigeria have hanged four men in Benin City Prison on 24th June – the first known executions in the country since 2006. See also http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18587
Pray: for the Government of Nigeria to know God’s way forward and for God to empower them with His wisdom in all decisions at this time. (Is.30:21
More: http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/militants-in-north-nigeria-force-thousands-to-flee_856991.html
A bus station primarily used by Christian passengers heading south was bombed killing at least 22 and injuring 65. Several buses were destroyed. Kano is the largest city in the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria. One of the buses targeted was full when the explosion happened, and was completely destroyed. Security in the city has been substantially tightened with the area of the explosion almost completely sealed off. In January 150 died in Kano in a series of co-ordinated attacks by Boko Haram. The group is fighting to overthrow the Nigeria government and create an Islamic state in the North. It is also believed to have a presence in Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer. It is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.
Pray: for the families and communities affected by the killings pray also for the federal government to overcome those who do not mean well for Nigeria. (2Th.3:2-3)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21845402
Plateau State has been racked with violence since January 18, when 200 Muslim youths attacked church-goers in the Nassarawa Gwong area of Jos. Two journalists working for a Church of Christ in Nigeria have become the latest casualties. Their bodies were found in the mortuary of the Jos University Teaching Hospital on the 25 April, a day after they left their office to interview a local politician. Church leaders continue to advocate non-retaliation and Rev Dr Pandat Yamsat has appealed to church members to remain calm despite the security lapses, and to cry out to God and allow Him to take vengeance. Christian Solidarity Worldwide called on local authorities to make every effort to track down the perpetrators of acts of violence adding, ‘a comprehensive review must be undertaken as a matter of urgency. This is a vital prerequisite for the restoration of peace to the area.’
Pray: for God’s Spirit powerfully to protect the minds of all living in the Jos area. (Pr.14:33)
At least 16 people have been killed in the latest violence between rival groups in central Nigeria's Plateau state, officials say. The villages of Babale and Dabwak, mostly inhabited by a Christian community, were attacked on Sunday night, the officials said. Eleven people were killed the previous night in another village, Tatu. More than 1,000 have been killed in religious and ethnic violence in Jos over the past two years. The state lies in Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt, between the mainly Muslim north and Christian south. The BBC's Ishaq Khalid in the state capital, Jos, says the violence is widely seen as religious, but there are many other factors that trigger it - including political rivalry. In the Plateau state which surrounds Jos, Hausa-speaking Muslims are seen as supporters of the opposition, while ethnic Beroms, who are mostly Christian, are perceived to favour the governing People's Democratic Party.
Pray: that God would intervene and bring peace to this troubled nation and protection for His people. (Ps.5:11)