Shots fired from both inside and outside of Nigerian church during mass killing
PBS NewsHourSep 09, 2022
The Facts
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reported on Mon. that gunmen shot dead eight people and abducted 38 others in the northern state of Kaduna on Sunday.
Suspected terrorists on motorcycles reportedly assaulted villages in the Kajuru Local Government Area and attacked worshippers in the Maranatha Baptist Church and the St. Moses Catholic Church.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The Buhari admin. successfully fought the BH threat in the northeast, only to see Islamist insurgency and violence from "bandits" and "unknown gunmen" spreading across other parts of the country. In response, the federal government offers only rhetoric and a lackadaisical attitude that allows this violence to continue. It's time for Buhari to back up his words with actions.
Pro-establishment narrative
Although security challenges remain, the Buhari admin. is doing all it can to solve them, and has made important recent breakthroughs. By modernizing law enforcement forces and adopting a zero tolerance policy for crime, it has been able to improve Nigeria's position in the ranking of most terrorized nations. There is a long way to go, but the government is taking the threats seriously.
Cynical narrative
As the plight of Ukrainians mobilizes international aid and last year saw thousands gather for "Black Lives Matter" demonstrations, shouldn't something be done to help Nigerian Christians who have been systematically killed and displaced? Western governments are failing them and the press remains silent.
