Leaders in Nigeria accused of inaction amid food crises and killings
Eight months after hundreds of Christians were massacred on Christmas Eve, and three months after another carnage on Easter Monday, the Nigerian government has failed to keep people safe, according to a priest caring for displaced people.
Survivors of massacres by extremists in Nigeria’s Middle Belt “have no trust” in their leaders as they face continued attacks on their farms and an increasing food shortage, Father Andrew Dewan, director of communications in the Diocese of Pankshin, revealed.
Father Dewan told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that “elected officials are just not interested in the welfare of the people,” offering no protection or practical support to Christian communities whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed.
Instead, he said that the Church and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been providing shelter, food, clothing, and other basic necessities to IDPs (internally displaced persons) and others struggling to survive.
The priest, who has been looking after IDPs at St. Thomas’s Catholic Church in Bokkos, Plateau State, added that he regularly receives reports of killings and other atrocities.
He said that last Saturday, July 13th, terrorists kidnapped a Christian woman and her daughter, and on Sunday, July 14th, armed Fulani herdsmen stormed a Christian community in Bokkos once again and “killed the village head.”
Father Dewan explained that there is a clear religious dimension to the attacks, even though conflict over land is also a factor, with Muslim-majority herdsmen targeting overwhelmingly Christian farming communities.
He said, “Hunger is going to increase in the coming year because of a lack of protection for farmers. Food prices have already more than doubled in the last month alone.”
Father Andrew told ACN that the Christian community’s faith is being tested, and many are losing their patience, despite the Church’s attempts to promote perseverance and forgiveness.
He added, “They feel helpless, because we keep encouraging them as priests, as pastors of souls, to be hopeful, to be resilient. But things don’t seem to get better, so there is an atmosphere of hopelessness.”
– Amy Balog
