Christian leaders decry attacks on Plateau churches, urge govt action

Christian leaders in Nigeria's Plateau State have voiced grave concerns over the ongoing attacks targeting churches and Christian communities, imploring the government to implement concrete measures to halt the violence. The National Fellowship of Conference Presidents of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, during their annual retreat in Jos, expressed dismay at the persistent assaults that have plagued the region for over two decades.

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Like some other church denominations on the Plateau, the churches of the Plateau Baptist Conference have walked through the valley of affliction due to repeated religious violence and systemic attacks on Christian communities that have bedevilled the state for over two decades.

Reverend Koeleh Saleh, President of the Plateau Baptist Conference and Vice-Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Plateau State, lamented the severe impact of these attacks. He stated that churches have endured repeated religious violence, resulting in loss of life, displacement of residents, and the destruction of church properties. This sustained violence, he noted, has significantly hampered the church's evangelism and rural mission activities, particularly affecting church-planting efforts as attacks have shifted from urban centers to rural areas.

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As a denomination renowned for rural church planting, the most recent pattern of violence against Christians, which has shifted from cities to rural communities, has negatively affected the mission efforts of Baptist work on the Plateau.

Saleh detailed the extent of the damage, reporting that nine Baptist churches within the Mangu Central Baptist Association alone have been affected. He cited the Alheri Baptist Church in Washna, where both the church building and pastorium were destroyed, leading to the dispossession of land and displacement of the entire Christian community. The church has remained closed since 2022.

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The church has remained closed since 2022 because the entire Christian community was dispossessed of its land and displaced.

Despite these devastating losses, Saleh commended the resilience of the affected members. He highlighted the enduring spirit of the Alheri Baptist Church in Jwakmaitumbi, whose members, though displaced and seeking refuge, continued to gather for worship every Sunday in a primary school. This resilience, he said, would be long remembered.

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The resilience demonstrated by Alheri Baptist Church, Jwakmaitumbi, and its pastor will be long remembered. Though displaced and forced to take refuge in Mangu town, members still gathered every Sunday in a primary school for worship despite their losses.