Release International has again called for better protection of Christians in Nigeria following news the home of the Anglican Archbishop of Jos, Benjamin Kwashi, was among those attacked in recent raids.
The archbishop was home with some 60 orphans in his care when cattle rustlers, said to be Fulani herdsmen, seized nine cows and shot and killed a neighbour, Adamu Dung, who challenged them during the 30th June raid, according to the UK-based organisation which supports the persecuted church around the world.
The archbishop, who visited and prayed for his neighbour’s family after the attack, wrote on his Facebook page that Adamu Dung “was shot through the head because he flashed his light when he heard footsteps of cattle being rustled”.
“The cows were mine…” he wrote. “Adamu was killed….He is no threat. He is an ordinary citizen struggling with life and doing every honest job to make ends meet. When I saw the widow and the house I could not help myself, my tears flowed freely and my heart shattered! I still carry the image of the house, the widow and the children…And Adamu died…killed by rustlers in front of his house!!!”
It was the fourth attack on the home of the archbishop, who was recently named as general secretary of the Global Anglican Future Conference. His church and vicarage have previously been burnt down and his wife Gloria was left partially blinded after one attack.
More than 200 people have died in recent attacks by the herdsmen.
Paul Robinson, CEO of Release, said the raids raised important questions about why the military is “apparently powerless to stop the slaughter of unarmed farmers”, about who was is arming and training Fulani militants and about “whose agenda does this killing of mainly Christian communities serve?”
“It all points to a strategy to drive out Christians from the north of Nigeria,” he said. “The government of Nigeria must protect its vulnerable Christian communities in the north – and its Anglican archbishop.”
