Please pray for the aftermath of violence in Jos, Nigeria

Read about the violence from the perspective of Sunday Agang, a professor and John Stott Ministries-Langham scholar at OC’s Nigeria partner school, Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETSN).

Post-election violence has wreaked havoc on Jos, the capital of Plateau State, Nigeria, since the end of November. Elections held in Jos November 27 were deemed generally peaceful. However, it is reported that election materials arrived late to some Muslim community polling sites and fueled complaints that election results would not be in their favor.

Enraged Muslim youth went on a rampage at 1 am the next morning. “They burned old automobile tires on the streets and main roads; set churches, schools and houses on fire; and disrupted classes, travel, businesses and commercial activities,” says Agang. “In the early morning, they started murdering, maiming and setting ablaze the corpses of children, women, men and anybody that they knew was not a Muslim.”

In response, the non-Muslim youth counteracted and started “murdering and maiming Muslims and setting their mosques and houses on fire.” He says the police could not control the situation until soldiers were sent in around 11 am; however, gunshots became more frequent, and “the city of Jos was suddenly turned into a battleground.”

Agang says the “streets were filled with burned houses, churches, mosques, cars, gas stations, business premises, and worst of all, human ashes…Why such disregard for the value of human life in Nigeria?...Why can’t Christian and Muslim youths control their anger?”

Those at JETSN responded to the political violence through several prayer sessions for peace. With the military presence, the violence has ceased; however, at least 300 people have been killed. Jos suffered similar violence and thousands of casualties in 2001 and 2004.

Click here to read more of Agang’s account.