Nigerian bishops plead for peace, question state of emergency

Published: 2004-05-26

ABUJA, Nigeria (CNS) -- Nigerian bishops pleaded for peace and dialogue as religious tensions in several states continued. Bishop Ayo-Maria Atoyebi of Ilorin pleaded for religious and tribal leaders in Plateau state to "dialogue so that peace and unity can reign in the area." The bishop also accused the local government of fomenting the violence. "The state government allowed political benefits to overshadow the people's human rights," he said. On May 2, Christian militants attacked the mainly Muslim town of Yelwa in Plateau. Eyewitness reports estimate that several hundred people were killed by machetes or were shot by attackers. That attack provoked revenge killings of Christians in the mainly Muslim city of Kano, in the North. Fearing further killings, President Olusegun Obasanjo imposed a state of emergency in Plateau.

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