Pope prays for Nigeria amid rising insecurity in Muslim north

Pope Francis has called on the Nigerian government to work towards ensuring the safety of all citizens in the wake of violent attacks in the country’s majority Muslim north.

The Holy Father’s appeal was accompanied by a prayer for affected people particularly in Kaduna State, where reports indicate that an attack over the past weekend killed dozens of people.

“I learned with sorrow of the news of the armed attacks last Sunday against the villages of Madamai and Abun, in northern Nigeria,” the Pope said in his weekly general audience in Vatican on Wednesday.

“I hope that the safety of every citizen might be guaranteed in the country,” he added.

Northern Nigeria has been wracked with reports of insecurity over the past decade and still counting.

Whiles the northeast continues to suffer from the Boko Haram insurgency, the north-central and northwest is currently reeling from attacks by bandits and kidnappers, most of the latter kidnap for ransom.

The Muhammadu Buhari-led government has increasingly promised to ensure security whiles condemning repeated attacks on schools and local communities.