58 Students Killed By Islamic Militants in Nigeria: Prayer and Fasting Are Underway

on February 28, 2014

According to reports received by International Christian Concern, at least 58 students were killed by Islamic militants suspected to be connected to Boko Haram.  ICC says according to eyewitnesses, the militants attacked a secondary school on the night of February 24th and blocked the exits of the boys’ dormitory, and then set it on fire. The eyewitnesses say many of the boys who could not escape were burned alive.

According to reports from CBS News, female students were spared in the attack. The news reports from Damaturu Nigeria say the attackers went to the female dormitories told the young women to go home and get married and abandoned Western education.

Abdullahi Bego, the spokesman for the governor of Yobe state says troops were “mysteriously withdrawn hours before the attack.”

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says one week of fasting and prayer are underway, in Borno State in Nigeria.

The Rev. Bitrus Bdliva, the chairman of the association says over 500 people have been killed in several areas of the state over the past few weeks by the insurgents of Boko Haram.

“I call on all Christians to acknowledge this responsibility and to pursue it vigorously. I admonish every Christian to re-examine his or her relationship with God and his neighbor, knowing well that to be able to maintain peace, you have to be at peace with God and with your brother or sister.”

Church leaders in the area say militants of the Islamist Boko Haram group attacked eight villages across two states.  News reports say the militants were equipped with rifles, knives, and incendiary devices and killed at least 200 people. According to the eyewitnesses many homes and shops were also burned.

World Watch Monitor quotes local officials and survivors of the massacre as saying on February 15th, gunmen rode into the villages and then opened fire after ordering the villagers to gather together

World Watch Monitor says although Borno and two other states have been under an official state of emergency since May of last year, there were no Nigerian troops in the area.

The District Head of one village is quoted by World Watch Monitor as saying several days earlier, 10 soldiers had been killed in a clash with members of Boko Haram. The official is quoted as saying military forces withdrew from the area after the incident.

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, stated “we extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in these senseless attacks. While the efforts of the Nigerian military to tackle Boko Haram’s presence in the border areas with Cameroon are to be welcomed, we echo local calls for a surge in numbers in order to step the sect’s violent campaign in rural areas, which remain soft targets.  Nigeria is a strategic nation, thus it is vital that members of the international community render every possible assistance to enable the country to counter this growing threat to peace and security in the region. It is important for neighboring states to assist by reinforcing security on their borders and denying Boko Haram a hiding place as a matter of urgency.”

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the geographical distribution of the country’s population is an important factor. CSW says Nigeria can be roughly divided into the mainly Muslim north, the central or Middle Belt area where there is an even distribution of Christians and Muslims. Other observers in the region say that the Muslims make up only a slight majority. CSW says the southern part of the nation is comprised mainly of Christians and each region also contains a minority of the population who practice traditional African religions.

CSW reports over 50,000 people have died in religious violence since 1999, when one-third of Nigeria’s 36 states instituted the Islamic penal code making Sharia (Islamic law), the highest legal authority.

Reuters reports Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned the recent attacks. He says he is committed to helping Nigerian authorities crack down on the militants.

“Unspeakable violence and acts of terror like the ones committed by Boko Harm last week in northern Nigeria are horrific, wrong and have no place in our world,” Kerry said in a statement.

“We support Nigerian authorities’ efforts to investigate these cowardly acts and to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Kerry added.

“The people of Northern Nigeria deserve to live free from violence and from terror,”Kerry said.

“That’s why the United States is providing counterterrorism assistance to help Nigerian authorities develop a comprehensive approach to combat the threat posed by Boko Haram while protecting civilians and ensuring respect for human rights.”

Kerry said the United States remains “a committed partner“ of Nigeria’s government as it targets Boko Haram and associated groups.

Last November, the United States designated Boko Haram and another Nigerian Islamist group, Ansaru, as foreign terrorist organizations, making it a crime to provide them with material support. The Institute on Religion and Democracy lobbied hard for a change in policy and was instrumental in the efforts to get Boko-Haram designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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