Pope Francis said yesterday that he was praying for Nigeria following the massacre of about 110 farmers including 30 beheaded people, and 10 missing women done by Islamist militants.
He said, “I want to assure my prayers for Nigeria, where blood has unfortunately been spilled once more in a terrorist massacre. Last Saturday, in the northeast of the country, more than 100 farmers were brutally killed. May God welcome them in His peace and comfort their families, and convert the hearts of those who commit similar atrocities which gravely offend His name.”
Although, attacks in Northern Nigeria has been ongoing, this slaughter in Borno State is one of the most violent attacks in recent times.
Since 2011, Islamist group Boko Haram has been behind many abductions, including that of 110 students kidnapped from their boarding school in Feb. 2018.
The local Islamic State-affiliated group has also carried out attacks in Nigeria. The group was formed after the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2015. The group was then renamed the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
