A 48-hour curfew has been imposed in the central Nigerian city of Jos after a “barbaric and unprovoked” attack left at least 22 people dead on Palm Sunday.
The deaths reportedly took place after gunmen fired at an open-air bar, killing 10, before a revenge attack resulted in additional losses of life.
The chairperson of the youth council in Plateau state, Paul Mancha, suggested that the true number of those slain could still be unknown.
“People were here in the evening, and unfortunately, wicked terrorists came and attacked our people,” he told Reuters news agency. “We have counted scores of people who are now dead, and then so many others are also in the hospital receiving treatment.”
The local governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, called the attacks “barbaric and unprovoked” as he announced the curfew, which is to last until the 1st of April.
The area of central Nigeria is no stranger to violent attacks in an area populated by Christian farmers and Muslim herders, often associated with Fulani terrorists.
While there has been widespread condemnation of the attack online, much of which points to a “jihadist” attack on Christians, the motivation for this latest attack has not been confirmed.
Nigerian Christians are often the target of mass killings, often due to “religious, ethnic, social, and economic” reasons, a spokesperson for Aid to the Church (ACN) in Need told Gript.
Michael Kelly, a spokesman for the papal charity which works with suffering and persecuted Christians in Nigeria, said that the country is “one of the most difficult and dangerous countries in the world for Christians.”
He lamented the lack of media attention the plight of Christians in Nigeria receives, saying, “Too often, violence against Christians there doesn’t make the headlines in the West, and attacks go largely unreported. Christian persecution in Nigeria is real and must be acknowledged. This should be of huge concern to Irish people, given the tremendous role that Irish missionaries played in spreading the Catholic Faith in Nigeria – to the extent that our own St Patrick is also the patron saint of Nigeria.”
“Recent months have seen some welcome attention to the plight of Nigeria’s Christians. It is positive that the suffering of Christians in Nigeria is finally being noticed – and we need more focus on this,” he added.
Pointing to the root causes of the danger, he said, “Nigeria faces multiple overlapping crises — religious, ethnic, social, and economic. These are often merged into a single ‘Christian vs. Muslim’ narrative, which does not always reflect the reality on the ground.
“In the north of Nigeria, Christians face severe discrimination and targeted attacks because of their faith in Christ. In the Middle Belt – where Jos is located – religious and ethnic tensions intersect. Sadly, violence is often extreme and recurrent.”
“As Christians around the world mark the most sacred time of the year – Holy Week – I urge Christians everywhere to pray for their suffering brothers and sisters in Nigeria. Their faith and courage in the midst of suffering are an inspiration.”
“It’s a sobering thought that as Christians in the West freely attend Easter ceremonies this year, some 413 million Christians live in countries where religious freedom is severely violated – that’s 18% or about one in five Christians. Of these, approximately 220 million live in countries where they are directly exposed to persecution – that’s 10%, or one in ten of all Christians,” he concluded.