The KAICIID Board of Directors, consisting of representatives of five religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism - issued today the following statement following the attack by herdsmen on the Saint Ignatius Catholic church in Benue State, Nigeria, on 24 April 2018, which killed 19 people:

“We are deeply saddened by the killing of two priests and 17 worshippers in St. Ignatius Catholic church in Nigeria. Our prayers include the victims and the families of those who have lost loved ones. The victims of this cruel attack were innocent people in a sacred place of peace and worship. Any such attack is a deplorable violation of the universal human right to practice our freedom of religion.  We condemn this crime in the strongest possible terms.

The attacks in this region has claimed too many lives and left deep wounds in the community. We call for an end to this violence and appeal to all involved to reject any violence in the name of religion since no religion condones violence. We stand with all peace-seeking Nigerians and commend all their efforts towards dialogue, understanding and peaceful coexistence”.