Boko Haram: Nigerian prelate laments flow of weapons after 185 killed
April 23, 2013
Church officials in Nigeria lamented the flow of weapons into Nigeria following the death of at least 185 people, many of them civilians, during a gun battle between Nigerian forces and members of the Islamist terrorist organization Boko Haram.
“We must ask how these weapons reach Nigeria,” said Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, the president of the episcopal conference, in an apparent reference to the arms used by Boko Haram. “While the most sophisticated ones come from abroad, in Nigeria there are clandestine laboratories manufacturing homemade weapons and improvised explosive devices.”
“Now we even have a higher level of weaponry, much more than what they were using before,” added Father Evaristus Bassey, national director of Caritas Nigeria, who said he was surprised by the clash in light of recent amnesty discussions in the west African nation.
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Further information:
- At least 185 people killed in hours of fighting between Nigeria’s military and Islamic extremists (AP)
- Nigeria: Scores dead after weekend violence (Vatican Radio)
- "Stop to arms also those built illegally": Msg. Kaigama’s appeal (Fides)
- Nigerian cardinal, other bishops differ over amnesty negotiations with Boko Haram (CWN, 4/18)
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