Hoodlums looted over 205 chairs, musical instruments, and other valuable items worth millions of naira from churches in Katsina State on the first day of the ongoing nationwide protest.
The attack, which took place on Sunday, August 4, targeted two churches in the Daura Local Government Area.
The Living Faith Church popularly called, Winners Chapel and the Deeper Life Church were both invaded, while the Anglican Church narrowly escaped due to strong gate protection.
Pastor David Sarki of the Living Faith Church confirmed the incident. “Because the hoodlums took everything inside the church on the first day of the protest, they decided to worship at their various home cells,” Sarki told reporters.
The looters, arriving around 10:00 am in tricycles, broke doors and windows to gain entry. They took a digital wall clock, musical instruments, a pulpit, pastor’s chairs, plastic chairs, a desktop computer, and a scoreboard used for church documents, leaving the auditorium in disarray.
“We have two security personnel working in the church; one was on duty while the other was off. When the protest began around 10:00 am, the hoodlums just diverted to the church, many of them in Keke Napep (tricycle), broke the door and windows, and entered the church auditorium,” Pastor Sarki recounted. He expressed shock and dismay at the attacks, questioning why churches were targeted during a protest against bad governance. “It is not food that we store in the house of God; it is a place of worship. Why is it only a church?” Sarki asked, calling for government intervention.
The police and army have been informed, and arrests have been made, according to Sarki. He urged the perpetrators to seek repentance, emphasizing that invading a place of worship is wrong and against the principles of humanity.
Similarly, Pastor Nelson Onyekachuku of the Power of Resurrection Church reported that hoodlums attempted to vandalize his church but were thwarted by iron gate protectors. Onyekachuku, a former state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Katsina, condemned the attacks, stating, “They should not add to the pain of the church.”
As the nationwide protests continue, these attacks on places of worship highlight a concerning escalation of violence. The Christian community in Katsina calls for increased security and protection from further attacks.
