Further deaths as Nigeria violence continues

Pray for believers in Nigeria today.

Midnight raids on two villages in Plateau state are reported to have claimed the lives of eight people, amid continuing religious tension in central Nigeria, said Release International on Wednesday.

Sources report that the victims, who included a woman and her daughter, were killed in the villages of Farin Lamba and Fan, which are in the Riyom and Barkin Ladi local government areas respectively.

This is the fifth recorded attack on Christian villages in this area in a fortnight. At least 13 people were killed during raids on several remote villages in the area earlier this month.

According to sources, many women recently joined a protest in Vom in Jos, South local government area, demanding the removal of the Special Task Force charged with keeping peace in the area. This force is facing mounting allegations that it is either turning a blind eye to attacks on Christian communities or may even be complicit in them.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that a soldier guarding a church in Maiduguri, Borno state, was shot dead at his post on Sunday. This incident follows bomb attacks on three churches in the city last month.

Please pray for an end to the cycle of violence that continues to claim lives in Plateau state. Pray particularly that officials will do more to ensure that effective security measures are in place to avert further bloodshed.