Christian community in Nigeria rocked by new wave of attacks

Abuja, Nigeria, Aug 7, 2012 / 16:32 pm

Nigerian Christians are losing patience after an Aug. 6 attack on a church service in a central region of the country that killed twenty-five Christians.

There is "not any religion in the world that accepts the killing of innocent people at their worshipping centers," Tunde Ishaku, a leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria told the Christian Science Monitor.

"We have to be serious now and take urgent action for the sake of our life and that of our followers."  

After reportedly blocking the entrance of the Deeper Life church, gunmen turned off the lights and opened fire into the sanctuary killing fifteen women and 10 men.

Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram has conducted similar attacks in the past and recently advised the country's president to embrace Islam or face the consequences.

Archbishop Ignatius A. Kaigama of Jos condemned the Islamic fundamentalist group in a July interview with Vatican Radio, calling the attacks "un-Islamic."

He said it is important to clarify that Muslims and Christians can, and often do, live in peace together.

He also called upon foreign powers to intervene in the violence against Christians that "doesn't seem to stop."

A peaceful resolution "cannot be left to just one country," the archbishop said.