12 Christians brutally slain in Nigeria; archbishop emphasizes violence not religious
March 18, 2010
At least a dozen Christians were slain with machetes in a small village near Jos on the night of March 16-17. The attackers cut out the tongues of most of the victims.
“The Fulani herdsmen, considering the villagers responsible for the loss of part of their livestock, have carried out a retaliation attack,” said Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos. “The fact that the Fulani are Muslim, and the villagers are mostly Christians, is an incidental fact. The real motivation for the massacre is the alleged theft of the livestock.”
“I am concerned about the fact that the large international press continues to present the clashes that take place in Plateau State as a religious conflict between Christians and Muslims,” he added. “This is not so.”
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Further information:
- Violence Continues in Nigeria (Vatican Radio)
- Another massacre in Nigeria; Archbishop of Jos tells Fides “this is just another retaliation over loss of livestock, not a religious conflict,” talk of interreligious violence ends up spreading it (Fides)
- 12 Slaughtered, Tongues Cut Out in Nigeria (AP)
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