Nigerian Church “providing relief assistance” after Attack on Villages, Killing of Dozens

He added, “The bandits attacked two villages, Faru and Kauyen Minane on May 7 killing seven persons.” 

In a France24 report, the administrative head of Bakura district, home to the attacked villages is quoted as saying, “The worst hit was Damri where the gunmen killed 32 people. They burnt a police patrol vehicle, killing two security personnel.”

“Troops deployed in the area engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to withdraw,” Aminu Suleiman says in the May 8 France24 report.

Zamfara, like other areas in Nigeria’s Northwestern region, has been experiencing attacks by gunmen locally called bandits. They have mostly targeted rural communities and travelers, and have been blamed for killing thousands of people. 

The gunmen have also abducted many more in what is becoming one of the worst kidnap-for-ransom syndicates in the history of the West African nation, according to a May 7 report.

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In the May 8 France24 report, officials in Zamfara State say more than 700,000 people have been displaced by bandits, prompting the officials to open eight camps to accommodate them.

In the May 10 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Ojapah highlighted the initiative of the church amid violent attacks in the Nigerian State. 

“The church has been helping the local population in so many ways,” he said, and added, “Recently, we organized ourselves and took some relief materials to another community that has been sacked completely by bandits.”

The bandits get support from members of government and external forces, the member of the Missionary Society of Saint Paul (MSP) said.

“In Nigeria only the government and very few wealthy and influential individuals can have access to a helicopter,” he said. 

The lecturer in communication and interreligious dialogue at the Catechetical Training Center, Malumfashi, criticized the Muhammadu Buhari-led government for failing to provide protection to citizens, adding that “the military are making money out of the situation.”

“A change in government will help a great deal. This government is part of the problem. the international community too is part of the problem,” the director for interreligious dialogue and ecumenism for the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto told ACI Africa May 10.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.