- Title: NIGERIA: Christmas brings fear of church attacks
- Date: 24th December 2012
- Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (DECEMBER 23, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PRAYING BY BURIAL SITE VARIOUS OF SOLOMON HOPE EHIAWAGUAN LAYING FLOWERS BY HER BROTHER'S GRAVE AS PEOPLE PRAY AND CRY (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOPE EHIAWAGUAN, SISTER OF BOMB BLAST VICTIM, SAYING: "I feel safe because the security here on earth is just security; we have a greater security which is in heaven so he is the only one that can secure us." PLAQUE SHOWING NAMES OF THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE BLAST HOPE EMBRACING HER CRYING MOTHER VARIOUS OF BLAST VEHICLE WRECKAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOPE EHIAWAGUAN, SISTER OF BOMB BLAST VICTIM, SAYING: "Insulting them will not make them change, pouring words on them will not make them change, only praying for God to give them the heart so that they will be a converted Christian; not only converted, so that they will be strong and they will have a feeling to know that something they did is very wrong." VARIOUS OF WORSHIPPERS ATTENDING SERVICE IN CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOSEPH NFIAJI, CHURCH COUNCIL CHAIRMAN, SAYING: "Actually, the parish priest has been very wonderful, you understand? Because he is the person who has instilled confidence in the parishioners you know, encourages them and as you can see inside the church, the church is taking a new look so the parishioners are trying to see that the church comes back to or even better than what it was." VARIOUS OF PARISH PRIEST AT THE ALTAR DURING MASS ALTAR ATTENDANTS AND OTHER OFFICIATING PRIESTS COMING OUT OF CHURCH AFTER MASS (SOUNDBITE) (English) FATHER ISAAC ACHI, ST. THERESA'S PARISH PRIEST, SAYING: "Generally, Christianity is a religion of faith, it's a religion that we are called to forgive. Even our master, our Lord Jesus Christ while on the cross, he prayed for forgiveness of those who were persecuting him, St. Stephen equally did the same so generally the life of every Christian is a life that models to the life of Jesus Christ and with that I want to ask that Christians generally should abide to live their lives like the person of Jesus Christ that we are expecting to come at this time." EXTERIOR OF CHURCH CRUCIFIX
- Embargoed: 8th January 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Crime,Religion
- Reuters ID: LVA33QQUWBO3HTCPA8CKJP93I4VG
- Story Text: Kneeling over a dusty grave on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital, 16-year old Hope Ehiawaguan says a prayer, lays down flowers and tearfully tells her brother she loves him.
He was one of 44 killed on Christmas Day last year when a member of Islamist sect Boko Haram rammed a car packed with explosives into the gates of St Theresa's Church in Madalla, a satellite town 25 miles from the centre of Abuja.
Boko Haram has killed hundreds in its campaign to impose sharia Islamic law in northern Nigeria and is the biggest threat to stability in Africa's top oil exporter.
Two other churches were bombed that day and on Christmas Eve, 2010 over 40 people were killed in similar attacks.
This Christmas, the police and military are expecting more trouble in the north.
They have ordered security to be tightened, people's movement restricted and churches to be guarded.
But such is the commitment to religion in a country with Africa's largest Christian population that millions of people are expected to pack out thousands of churches in the coming days.
It is impossible to protect everyone, security experts say.
"I feel safe because the security here on earth is just security, we have a greater security which is in heaven so he is the only one that can secure us," Ehiawaguan said, when asked if she will come to church on December 25 this year.
The blast in Madalla killed several people on the street and pulled down the church roof, condemning many of those trapped inside the burning building, including a 7-month old boy.
A plaque listing the names of the members of the church who were killed has been placed above their graves.
The twisted metal of the cars destroyed in the blast is still there.
Hope further added that the way forward will be to pray for those responsible for last year's Christmas day blast.
"Insulting them will not make them change, pouring words on them will not make them change, only praying for God to give them the heart so that they will be a converted Christian; not only converted, so that they will be strong and they will have a feeling to know that something they did is very wrong," she said.
Joseph Nfiaji, St. Theresa's church council chairman, said renovations were under way at the church to give it a new look.
"Actually, the parish priest has been very wonderful.. because he is the person who has instilled confidence in the parishioners.., encourages them and as you can see inside the church, the church is taking a new look so the parishioners are trying to see that the church comes back to or even better than what it was," the council chairman said.
Security experts believe Boko Haram is targeting worshipers to spark a religious conflict in a country of 160 million people split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.
The sect has also targeted Mosques in the past and assassinated Imams who have questioned its insurgency.
In the group's stronghold in the northeast, where most of its attacks occur, Muslims are equally at threat as Christians.
The fear for many is that more Christmas Day attacks could spark the sort of tit-for-tat sectarian violence between the mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south, which has claimed thousands of lives in the past decade.
"Generally, Christianity is a religion of faith, it's a religion that we are called to forgive. Even our master, our Lord Jesus Christ while on the cross, he prayed for forgiveness of those who were persecuting him, St. Stephen equally did the same so generally the life of every Christian is a life that models to the life of Jesus Christ and with that I want to ask that Christians generally should abide to live their lives like the person of Jesus Christ that we are expecting to come at this time," Father Isaac Achi, St. Theresa's Parish Priest said.
Churches were emptier than usual on Sunday (December 23) in northern cities of Kano and Kaduna, local residents said.
Despite bolstered security in cities across the north, suicide bombers attacked the offices of mobile phone operators India's Airtel and South Africa's MTN in Nigeria's second-largest city Kano on Saturday (December 22).
The bombers died but no civilians were killed.
No one took responsibility for the attacks but Boko Haram has targeted phone firms before because they say the companies help the security forces catch their members.
At least 2,800 people have died in fighting in the north since Boko Haram launched an uprising against the government in 2009, watchdog Human Rights Watch says.
But Boko Haram is not the only threat in northern Nigeria.
Islamist Group called Ansaru, known to have ties with Boko Haram, has risen in prominence in recent weeks.
It claimed an attack on a major police barracks in Abuja last month, where it said hundreds of prisoners were released.
The group said on Saturday that it was behind the kidnapping of a French national last week and it has been labelled a "terrorist group" by Britain. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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