THE January 15 murder of a Catholic priest, Isaac Achi, in Paikoro, Niger State, after terrorists burnt him to death by setting fire to the parish rectory, is the latest tragic incident in a series of killings of Christian clerics by Islamic jihadists across the country.
A breakdown of the incidents showed that while 229 Christians were kidnapped and 86 were murdered, 53 Islamic clerics and worshipers were killed and 165 abducted. The prominent attacks included the heinous killing of a Catholic priest and three parishioners in Benue State on March 30, 2021.
On June 6, no fewer than 40 persons were slaughtered during the attack on the St. Xavier Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State. Several other worshippers suffered injuries. A few weeks after the Owo massacre – on June 19 – gunmen attacked Catholic and Baptist churches, killed four and abducted 44 persons. Similarly, on June 25, terrorists killed a Kaduna State-based Catholic priest, Vitus Borogo.
The report warned that the rise in Islamist extremism is threatening to destabilise the region, including the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin, and parts of West Africa. This concern is shared by the United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Religious Freedom or Belief.
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