Baptists Killed in Nigeria

Eron Henry, Associate Director of Communications
Neville Callam, General Secretary
Baptist World Alliance

December 22, 2008

Washington, D.C. (BWA)--At least 12 Nigerian Baptists were killed and five Baptist churches burned during riots sparked by local election results in November.

Motunrayo Adegbilero, a Nigerian who is President of the Baptist Women’s Union of Africa (BWUA), informed the Baptist World Alliance that “churches are being burnt and Christians are being killed in Jos, the capital of Plateau State of Nigeria .”

Plateau State lies in central Nigeria , and roughly borders the predominantly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south of the country. Tensions between Christians and Muslims have risen in recent times in the most populous African nation of almost 150 million people. Local elections held in Jos on November 28 and 29 led to riots amid rumors that the candidate supported mainly by Christians had won the elections, even though the results were not officially declared. Clashes between Christians and Muslims led to wide scale assaults.

Adegbilero stated that “the death toll is about 400 now,” and that “the dead are both Christians and Muslims.” Several thousand persons were reportedly injured and an estimated 10,000 displaced...

For the full release: http://www.bwanet.org/default.aspx?pid=973