The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has issued its sharpest condemnation yet of violence that is killing Nigerians of all faiths.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria issued an urgent statement on August 27 condemning two separate attacks that have left dozens dead and over 60 people kidnapped — and calling on the Nigerian government, security forces, and the attackers themselves to stop the bloodshed.
The statement, titled “Stop The Slaughter In Borgu And Ukum, Stop The Killings In Nigeria,” was signed by Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, archbishop of Kaduna and president of the bishops’ conference — a diocese that has itself been badly affected by violence in recent years.
What happened
On August 21, gunmen stormed the Kpenya Mosque in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State during Friday prayers, abducting more than 60 worshippers and attacking nearby villages. Residents have blamed the Lakurawa armed group, a faction notorious for kidnappings, cattle rustling, and forcing captives to accept an extremist version of Islam. The attack came just a week after a similar assault on a mosque in Sokoto State left at least 32 worshippers dead, including the imam.
In a separate and unrelated incident, 47 people were killed and 17 critically wounded in Ukum, Benue State, in an attack attributed to armed Fulani herder gangs. The two incidents are part of a broader pattern of violence that has plagued Nigeria’s Middle Belt — the zone where the majority Muslim north meets the majority Christian south — for years.
What the bishops said
The bishops were explicit about the scale of the crisis. “With heavy hearts and deep sorrow, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria once again decries the unabated trail of blood and terror across our nation which has reached an intolerable crest,” the statement reads.
The bishops made clear that the violence in Borgu was not a Christian-Muslim conflict — both attackers and victims were Muslim — and expressed direct solidarity with Nigeria's Muslim community.
“We stand in firm solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters in Niger State, and all over Nigeria, praying for the immediate and safe release of all 60 abducted worshippers. An attack on any place of worship is an attack on our collective humanity.”
The bishops addressed the Nigerian government with barely concealed frustration. “The tears of bereaved families in Niger, Benue, and across every geopolitical zone in Nigeria must worry you enough to do everything possible to stop this carnage in our land.” They called specifically for intelligence-led security operations to dismantle criminal networks before they strike, and for the swift prosecution of perpetrators and their sponsors “regardless of their status or affiliations, as impunity fuels repetition.”
The statement also addressed the perpetrators directly. “To the bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, and their sponsors, we plead that you stop the bloodshed. Human life belongs to God alone, and no cause justifies this cruelty. You cannot build a future on the tears of innocent persons.” And with a warning: “We call on you to lay down your arms, turn away from evil, and respect the sanctity of human life before divine judgment overtakes you.”
The Church’s presence on the ground
Aid to the Church in Need has accompanied the situation in Nigeria for years, working with local dioceses to address the fallout of the violence — including supporting the many thousands of internally displaced people. In one recent project, ACN helped rebuild the village of Adama Dutse, which had been attacked and razed, allowing its residents to return home rather than remain in displacement camps.
Nigeria's Christian communities have faced sustained targeted violence over the past decade, but the bishops’ statement reflects that the crisis is a national emergency affecting all Nigerians, regardless of faith, and calling for a response that matches its severity.
