The leadership of Nigeria’s Catholic Church has issued an urgent appeal for government action following coordinated attacks on mosques and communities that have claimed dozens of lives and resulted in mass abductions across two states in mid-August.

Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, who leads the Archdiocese of Kaduna and serves as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, released a statement over the weekend condemning the violence. The attacks targeted places of worship and civilian populations in rapid succession, creating what church leaders described as a pattern of systematic violence against vulnerable communities.

Scale of Recent Attacks

Armed gangs attacked mosques in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State on August 21 during Friday prayers. Worshippers gathered for midday devotions at several mosques in the Dekara district—including the Central Mosque, and facilities in Kpenya, Sabon-Gida, Gidan-Zana, and Masaka—when the assaults began. More than 60 worshippers were abducted during the raids, though some reports place the number at more than 100. Witnesses reported that attackers on motorcycles also entered homes in surrounding areas, taking women and children.

Days earlier, on August 16 and 17, coordinated dawn attacks struck multiple communities in the Mbazun and Mbaterem districts of Ukum in Benue State. The simultaneous assaults across several settlements killed 47 people and left 17 others seriously injured.

Armed gangs believed to be affiliated with factions known as Lakurawa or Mahmuda carried out the assaults. Many of those abducted from the mosques were taken into forests surrounding Lake Kainji.

Bishops Demand Government Response

Archbishop Ndagoso framed the attacks as an assault on the entire fabric of Nigerian society. “Whether they are in a mosque, a church, a market or the safety of their own homes, Nigerians continue to be killed, traumatised and displaced with impunity,” he said, according to Vatican News.

He added: “An attack on any place of worship is an attack on our entire community.”

The bishops’ conference called directly on government authorities and security agencies to take immediate steps to halt the violence. The appeal reflects growing concern among religious leaders in Nigeria about the vulnerability of worship spaces and residential areas to armed gangs operating with apparent freedom across multiple states.

Broader Context of Violence

The attacks underscore the ongoing security crisis in Nigeria, where bandit networks have conducted kidnappings and killings across the northern and central regions for years. Religious leaders have similarly condemned rising violence against vulnerable populations in other regions, framing the protection of civilians and communities as a shared moral responsibility transcending denominational lines.

The fact that mosques were deliberately targeted during worship—a time when congregants are gathered and vulnerable—signals the indiscriminate nature of the assaults and the particular danger facing religious communities. The abduction of women and children from homes indicates attackers’ intent to expand their captive populations beyond those present at the sites of initial violence.

The Nigerian bishops’ statement represents an organized ecclesial response to what they characterize as an intolerable pattern. By calling on both secular and security authorities to act, the conference placed responsibility squarely on those with power to deploy force and coordinate protective measures. The appeal also sent a signal that Nigeria’s Catholic leadership will continue to voice opposition to violence that displaces communities, destroys livelihoods, and traumatizes populations regardless of their faith tradition.