Nigeria: Christians given 3 days to leave north

The Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram has given a three-day ultimatum for Christians to leave the north of and has called for Muslims living in the south to move north.

The terrorists say they will fight government troops in the parts of the country where President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency after a series of bombs killed more than 50 Christian worshipers on Dec. 25, Christmas Day.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, Vice President of the Nigerian Bishop's Conference, has appealed to Nigerians not to allow their country to be overtaken by terror: “Churches have been destroyed and lives were lost and there is no sign that this might end, until the government intervenes decisively. We continue to ask Christians to be vigilant and aware of the issue of safety when they go to church and even in their own homes. We have appealed that there be no retaliation and we continue to preach peace, hoping that all of us in Nigeria, Muslims and Christians, we will be able to work and live happily together. This is our position: no violence, no retaliation. We want to live in peace”.

Archbishop Kaigama adds “We continue to appeal to reason, for dialogue. It is possible for Muslims and Christians to reason together. We know that there are other forces behind the so-called Boko Haram, we do not even know who the Boko Haram really are, what they want, where they get their arms from. What is certain is that there are some forces behind them, either in Nigeria or abroad, who want to profit from instability in our country, but we will not give in to terrorism, we will not allow these fundamentalists to ruin our country”. Listen to Emer McCarthy's full interview with Archbishop Kaigama 00:06:19:01
(people standing in front of the partially destroyed St Theresa Catholic Church after a bomb blast in the Madala Zuba district of Nigerias capital Abuja on December 25, 2011).