Outrage As Over 200 Suspected Muslim Youth Go On Rampage, Destroy Catholic Church In Niger

A group of suspected Muslim youths, yesterday, attacked St. Philip’s Catholic Parish, Baki Iku, close to Zuma Rock in Niger State, destroying properties worth thousands of naira. This is coming just some days after a female Evangelist in the Redeem Christian Church of God, Mrs. Eunice Olawale, was brutally killed by suspected Muslim extremists. According to the Vicar-General of Parish, Revered-Father Gobep Luka Sylvester, about 200 Muslim youths stormed the Church premises yesterday and destroyed properties of the church. According to Thisday newspaper, some Catholics had gone to the church to pray and were attacked by the Muslims who claimed that Friday was their day of prayer and that the Church only had right to worship on Sundays. According to Reverend Sylvester, “Sometime around 2pm, some Muslim youths in numbering 200 left their Mosque after their Friday Jumat prayer and rushed to the Church premises, climbed the wall and destroyed everything in the Church: the windows, the alter, musical instruments, the chapel. “The security man in the church premises was beaten to pulp. Some women who were holding a prayer meeting were chased away. The seminarian who is resident in the premises was also beaten up and chased away.” He said the incident had been reported to the police and they claimed to have made some arrest and promised to investigate the matter. The Revered Father added, “Just last week, Mrs. Eunice Olawale, a mobile preacher of the Redeemed Christian Church of God was killed by some fanatical Muslims in Kubwa, FCT. How long are we going to continue like this?