On May 22, 2018, two priests and 17 parishioners who were gunned down on April 24th during morning Mass at Saint Ignatius Catholic Church in Mbalom were buried. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, consequently, called on all dioceses in Nigeria to organize peaceful demonstrations to urge the government to provide security without delay and also be in solidarity with the victims and their families on this day they were put to rest.
Africa Faith & Justice Network in partnership with the National Association of African Catholics in the US and the Association of Catholic Clergy and Religious in the US invited people to gather in front of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC to unequivocally say enough is enough!!! The embassy sent a representative to speak with protesters and took notes of their concerns and promised to forward their message to the appropriate decision makers in government hierarchy.
In summary the affected and concerned people everywhere are asking, how many solidarity prayers and how many dead do the Nigerian people have to bury for the government to take the matter of security seriously? Additionally, the Nigerian army has a record of keeping peace abroad, why is it that it cannot keep peace at home? Boko Haram has devastated many families, displaced many more and still has many captives.
The two priests and the parishioners are the latest victims of violence against innocent citizens allegedly perpetrated by Fulani Herdsmen. Enough is enough!!! For every Nigerian and friends of Nigeria, doing nothing is not an option. Unfortunately, the people are called upon once gain to, nonviolently, lead the way to peace where elected official have failed. Watch the reading of the open letter to Nigerian President Buhari.
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