A Muslim mob with knives and
iron rods injured several
members of an Anglican church
in Nasarawa state on Aug. 17
over a dispute about less than
one cent in change, area
Christians said.
According to a story by Morning
Star News, three pastors, four
elders and choir members of
the St. James Anglican Cathedral
were wounded in Lafia, capital
of Nasarawa in central Nigeria,
as they met for study and
worship preparation.
Area residents said they got
cuts on their heads and other
parts of their bodies when
about 30 Muslims attacked with
motorcycle chains and wooden
clubs, along with the other
weapons.
An area member of the
Evangelical Reformed Church of
Christ in Lafia, Joshua Nuhu
Kuju, told Morning Star News
that a Muslim woman incited
the Muslims to attack after she
had an argument over payment
with a young Christian man
who runs the church's water
borehole (a way to get water).
"The Muslim woman sent her
children to purchase water
from the church's borehole, and
then a misunderstanding over
about five naira (less than one
US cent)," he said.
"The Muslim woman then went
and invited some of her Muslim
neighbors, who stormed the
church and attacked the
members of the church."
The assailants also damaged
Bibles and broke chairs, he said.
Rev Isaac Onwusongaonye of St
James Anglican Cathedral, of the
Church of Nigeria (Anglican
Communion), told Morning Star
News that at about 6pm, as he
and six other church leaders
were meeting for Bible study
preparation and the choir was
about to begin rehearsal, a
church member told them that
someone was arguing with the
young man in charge of the
church-run water borehole,
Peter Aleku.
"When we enquired of the
water seller what happened, he
said that a girl, a (Muslim)
neighbour, came and bought
water worth 20 naira (one US
cent) and did not pay,"
Onwusongaonye said.
He added, "Shortly after, the
girl's sister came and fetched
water worth 5 naira an d paid
20 naira and demanded 15
naira in change. But the water
seller told her that, for the
change, to meet her sister who
bought water earlier and did
not pay."
The girl was upset and told her
mother about the exchange, the
clergyman said.
"The woman came and
threatened that she had a son
who was capable of
demolishing the church, and
that she would call him to come
and fight the water seller," he
said.
"One of our sextons decided to
give the woman the 20 naira,
which the woman collected; the
woman also slapped the water
seller two times, yet she called
her notorious son."
When the woman's son arrived,
security guards prevented him
from entering the church
premises at two points - the
borehole area and the main
gate, Morning Star News
reported Onwusongaonye said.
One of the church leaders
suggested they report the
matter to police, but another
suggested they wait for
tensions to cool and instead talk
with the family the next day, he
said.
"As we resumed our Bible study,
all we saw was a mob coming
into the church through the
main gate," Onwusongaonye
added.
He continued, "This notorious
boy went and called his gang,
mostly butchers. They came
with knives, clubs, motorcycle
chains, iron poles, wood, etc. As
they were terrorising the
church members, their fellow
Muslim youths playing football
at the field adjacent to the
church jumped in through the
fence and helped the gang. This
gang beat the security men at
the gate mercilessly with wood,
chain and iron."
Seriously wounded, the security
guards were rushed to the
hospital, he said.
"They also slapped some of our
elders who tried to appeal to
them," Morning Star News
reported Onwusongaonye said.
"They even forcefully collected a
handset from one of our
pastors. I narrowly dodged a
big stone thrown at me, and
Ven Shigudu narrowly escaped
from being stabbed."
The clergyman said intervention
by police who were told about
the attack saved the cathedral
from burning down.
"After some minutes of
terrorism, the boys left - some
of them were asking w hy they
did not destroy the church,
especially the window glass,"
Onwusongaonye said. "So they
later regrouped to come back
for total destruction, but with
the quick intervention of police
from A Division, the boys ran as
they saw the police van."
Police detained the ringleader's
mother when the gang fled,
releasing her only after the
family later produced her son.
He was arrested, and Morning
Star News reported that at
press time the case was still
under investigation.
Many years ago the church had
decided to create a water
borehole and charge a minimal
fee because of the community's
difficulties in securing drinking
water, Onwusongaonye said.
Established in Lafia in the early
1940s, the church has about
300 members.
Nasarawa state is located in
Nigeria's volatile middle belt,
west of Plateau state, between
the predominantly Muslim north
and largely Christian south.
Christians make up 51.3 percent
of Nigeria's population of 158.2
million, while Muslims account
for 45 percent.
Those practicing indigen ous
religions may be as high as 10
percent of the total population,
according to Operation World,
so the percentages of Christians
and Muslims may be less.

some people gat guts in nigeria

Boko Are really Rams...

every muslim man or woman is a potential terrorist.

Hunger, poverty, ignorance, etc