THE rate of attack on worship centres leading to death has again been brought to the fore with the recent attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo state, on June 5, 2022.

No fewer than 40 worshipers died in the attack.

The data suggest that two hundred and eighty-nine (289) people have died in Nigeria due to attacks on worship centres in the last eighteen months.

The data obtained from the Council on Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) – a website that tracks violent incidents related to political, economic, and social grievances directed at the state or other affiliated groups – covers January 2021 to June 20, 2022. 

Seventy-seven (77) attacks on worship places within this period resulted in 289 fatalities.

The data shows 12 attacks on mosques and 65 incidents on Churches across the country.

During this period, 45 people were killed in attacks on Mosques within the country, while 244 were killed in attacks on churches nationwide.

For instance, in a single incidence on June,5,2022, about 40 people were killed when suspected bandits attacked Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state.

Also, on February 3, 2022, gunmen stormed a church in Ihiala, Anambra state killing a couple and their daughter.

In another incident, Some gunmen on Sunday, October 31, 2021, invaded the Baptist Church, Kakau Daji, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing two while scores were abducted.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/insecurity-289-killed-in-worship-centres-within-18-months-across-nigeria/

The handiwork of muslim bandits