When it comes to the African country of Nigeria and its problems with the barbaric Boko Haram, it has historically been a problem for the north to be more concerned about. In the map below, you can see the city of Kano in north central Nigeria.
However, these problems appear to be moving southward with increasing frequency. Just this week, dozens of Christians have been killed near the town of Jos, which is a good distance southeast of Kano.
Violence since Monday has seen ethnic Fulani Muslims raid Christian villages in the state, an area where thousands have been killed in recent years in a cycle of attacks and reprisals…
…Plateau has seen waves violence involving the Fulani ethnic group and Christian Beroms, who see themselves as the indigenes of the state.
Separately, Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has carried out bombings in Jos, the capital of Plateau state, as part of its insurgency in central and northern Nigeria.
Another report, via 3News (h/t Atlas) suggests that in addition to suffering Islamic terror attacks, the region may have a weak leadership problem:
Major attacks by Islamic extremists, including car bombings, also have hit the area in recent years as Nigeria’s weak central government appears unable to stop the killings. With Easter on Sunday, government officials urged those living in Jos and the surrounding villages to be calm and peaceful during the holiday.
Plateau state Gov. Jonah Jang, a Christian long criticized for not doing more to stop the killings, said his government will continue to work for peace and prosperity in an area long beset by tension.
“Christians must claim this season, which symbolizes hope, by rededicating their lives to the teachings and path of Christ so as not to lose eternity,” he said in a statement.
This seems to be a recurring theme. Instead of telling Christians how they can better behave so as to avoid being slaughtered, how about identifying the problem?
Just last week, the largest city in Nigeria – Lagos – which also sits on the country’s southern coast saw authorities raid a Boko Haram hideout.
Via Osun Defender:
Fear gripped many residents of Lagos on Thursday when news filtered in that troops numbering about 100 stormed terror suspects’ hideouts in Ijora, a densely populated part of the city.
The soldiers, who were assisted by men of the State Security Service, were believed to have acted on a tip-off. They were said to have arrived in the area around 7am in search of the suspects said to be members of an Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.
As the consequences of an unfettered Arab Spring spread across northern Africa, Nigeria – that continent’s most populated country – must be watched very carefully, especially if Boko Haram continues to make gains by moving southward, where the majority of Nigeria’s Christian population resides.
h/t SG