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There was an ’80s Aussie hardcore punk band called Where’s The Pope? Nigerian Christians might well ask the same question. Just a week after the Pontiff of Poltroonery fatuously prattled about ‘peaceful coexistence with Islam’ in a country where preaching Christianity is a jail sentence, yet more Nigerian Christians are finding out just what ‘coexisting’ with Muslims really looks like.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for killing dozens of Christians and torching a church in a terrorist attack in Nigeria.
The attack in the country’s northeast killed at least 29 people, with a group of young people assembling at a football pitch were targeted.
The attack occurred in Adamawa state, which borders Cameroon – a hotspot for terrorist violence.
One local, Joshua Usman, said the dead included “youths, including some ladies that were watching football”.
Naturally, the Pope condemned yet more Islamic slaughter of Christians in forthright terms.
Um… no…? Hello…? Hello, Pope Leo…?
Oh, wait, he was too busy railing at Donald Trump again. No time for such footling inconsequences as the rampant slaughter of Christians by those ‘mostly peaceful’ Muslims.
Philip Agabus, a local resident, said: “Our people converged at a football pitch in Guyaku community... and were attacked by insurgents who entered with guns and began shooting randomly.”
The officer for State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, confirmed at least 29 had died in the attack.
Citing a local community leader, his office said “the attackers operated for several hours, killing dozens of residents, burning places of worship, and destroying property including motorcycles”.
Silence from the Vatican, too, on this:
Gunmen raided an orphanage in north-central Nigeria and abducted 23 pupils, authorities said Monday. Fifteen have since been rescued.
The attack took place in an “isolated area” of Lokoja, capital of Kogi State, according to a statement by the state’s commissioner, Kingsley Femi Fanwo. The facility, Dahallukitab Group of Schools, was operating illegally, he said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Three guesses, though…
Nigeria is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north, where an insurgency has simmered for more than a decade.
Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, known as ISWAP. There is also the IS-linked Lakurawa group operating in communities in the northwestern part of the country bordering Niger.
I suppose you can’t blame the Pope for avoiding Nigeria on his Africa visit. It would be a bit inconvenient, after all, to be massacred by Muslims while you’re preaching ‘peaceful coexistence’ with Muslims.
