Nigeria: Riot Recovery Begins

“The truth is that the church in northern Nigeria has never seen this kind of violence against the church,” wrote Isaac, a VOM partner in Nigeria. “We have a report of over 31,000 people displaced. The Red Cross confirmed 276 people were injured. Hundreds of Christians are feared killed.”

Violent protests broke out across Nigeria’s Muslim northern region on April 18 after an overwhelming election victory by President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the South. Angry crowds burned homes belonging to non-Hausa/Fulani (non-Muslim) residents, as well as cars and churches. The homes of traditional Muslim leaders who supported non-Muslim political candidates were also targeted. More than 500 have been killed and over 150 churches burned, according to Release International.

Our VOM team in Nigeria is collecting reports on the destruction and assessing how to help. They are already responding to medical needs, meeting victims in hospitals, helping them get care and paying medical bills. Denomination headquarters are unable to offer more than a tiny bit of help to their members, so Isaac and his team are providing food and other relief to those who were displaced.