Nigerian Christians axed to death in church

Forty-eight people have been hacked to death in Yelwa, Nigeria, by armed Muslims, many during a church meeting, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

A recent upsurge in violence in southern Plateau State in Nigeria has claimed at least 100 lives and in the worst single incident so far, at least 48 people were murdered, many during an early morning prayer service on Feb. 24, CSW reported.

Armed Muslims invaded the service, ordered the congregation to lie face down and proceeded “to machete and axe them to death in their house of worship” according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The victims included women and children.

The Yelwa incident was preceded by an attack on Tunka in Shendam Local Government Area (LGA) during which 18 people were killed, including four mobile policemen who were murdered in an ambush. The deaths of the policemen, who were assigned to the area to maintain peace, caused many to flee their homes, CSW said.

A local source told CSW the attacks were being carried out by as many as 400 heavily armed Muslims who shouted “Allah u Akhbar” (God is great), wore red and black uniforms and moved with military precision.

As government reinforcements arrived in the area to stop the violence, the attackers are said to have adopted hit and run tactics, striking Christian areas and moving on before troops could engage them. By Feb. 26 there were reports of similar violence in Shendam Town, Mikang, Langtang South and Langtang North LGAs. There were also unconfirmed reports of reprisal attacks by ethnic Tarohs on Hausa Fulanis. Joint army and police action eventually managed to enforce an uneasy peace, CSW said.

In a strongly worded statement of March 2, CAN called on Muslims in northern Nigeria to emulate their western counterparts by living peaceably alongside northern Christians.

CSW reports that over 10,000 people have died in religious violence since 1999 when several northern states decided to implement the Shari’ah penal code in defiance of the country’s secular constitution.

— ASSIST News Service