Over 200 Muslim youths attack Catholic church near Abuja - Thisday live
According to thisday newspaper, A group of Muslim youths attacked St. Philip’s Catholic Parish, Baki Iku, close to Zuma Rock in Niger State, on friday destroying properties worth thousands of naira.
The Vicar-General of Parish, Revered-Father Gobep Luka Sylvester, who confirmed the news to THISDAY friday night said "about 200 Muslim youths stormed the Church premises yesterday and destroyed properties of the church."
THISDAY gathered that some Catholics had gone to the church to pray and were attacked by the Muslims who claimed that "FRIDAY was their day of prayer and that the Church only had right to worship on SUNDAYS."
Revered Father Sylvester told THISDAY friday night that although he was not around when the incident happened, he was told that some Muslim youths numbering about 200 came to the Church and started destroying the church’s properties, saying the security men in the church premises were seriously injured.
According to him, ‘’Sometime around 2pm, some Muslim youths in numbering 200 left their Mosque after their Friday Jumat prayer and rushed to the Church premises, climbed the wall and destroyed everything in the Church: the windows, the alter, musical instruments, the chapel.
’The security man in the church premises was beaten to pulp. Some women who were holding a prayer meeting were chased away. The seminarian who is resident in the premises was also beaten up and chased away.”
He said the incident had been reported to the police and they claimed to have made some arrest and promised to investigate the matter.