Pulse Opinion: Churches are for worshipping God not violent acts

Quick reminder, the church is no place to take lives. People deserve to be able to serve their God without worrying about their lives.

This morning, I woke up to the news of a horrific attack at St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Ugwu Oye in Ozubulu, Anambra State.

Reportedly, gunmen stormed into the church during the morning mass and opened fire on the worshippers.

This crazy attack left at least 11 dead people and 18 injured.

 

ALSO READ: Anambra church killings is gang related not terrorism

I was still devastated over this massacre on innocent people when I stumbled on another attack in a different church.

This time, it was at Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Okin Parish, Igbo Agbowa, in Ikorodu, Lagos.

According to Punch, this attack was carried out by suspected members of the Badoo cult, who disguised as worshippers during a night vigil on Sunday, August 6, 2017.

These three disguised Badoo suspects waited for people to doze off before smashing the head of an anonymous woman with a stone.

Church members woke up as soon as the victim shouted. This led to a chase until one of the suspects was caught.

 

Seeing these two stories on the same day is completely heartbreaking.

Why anyone would have the guts to step into a church to take lives is beyond me.

The only crime committed here is simply going to worship their maker. Unfortunately, this single act caused these innocent people to lose their lives. How upsetting is that?

 

My heart goes out to families who have been affected by these attacks.

Just a reminder, the church is a place of worship, not a place to carry out violent acts.

 

We need to stop killing people but more importantly, we have to stop attacking churches.

These places are sacred. If you can not be bothered by human beings, at least try to respect God.

Here is to hoping that this is the last time we hear of these kind of attacks.

Apparently, I am not the only one who feels this way. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Osita Chidoka, a former Minister of Aviation, has shared similar sentiments.

Reacting to the attack in Anambra, Mr. Chidoka said: “This is tragic; the church is a place of refuge to anyone who runs into it, and this wicked, barbaric and mindless bloodletting, shows that something has gone wrong on our psyche.

“My heart goes to the bereaved at this moment of pain. I pray that God grants the soul of the departed eternal rest as I urge the security agents to fish out the perpetrators and make them face the law.”

 

Meanwhile, Vanguard has reported that the woman injured by a Badoo suspect is 14-year-old Precious Olaniyan.

She shared her terrible experience with the paper saying: “I lay on a three-seater in one of the rooms but sounds of footsteps woke me at about 4 am. I saw the first timer tip-toeing in my direction with his hands tucked in his flowing garment but, before I could say a word, he had pounced on me, pulling my dress.

“What came to my mind was that he wanted to rape me but what happened next was that he hit my head with a grinding stone and I was soaked in my own blood but I managed to shout on top of my voice. One of my relatives heard me from her room and cried for help. On noticing this, he took to his heels as the noise attracted other worshipers who also rushed to the scene.

“The pain notwithstanding, I was able to recognise my assailant and he was confronted but he denied and the scene became rowdier as he was almost lynched. The mob was prevented from carrying out jungle justice and the suspect was handed over to the police.”

 

The suspect has been identified as 32-year-old Ahmed.

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