Baptists in Nigeria are sifting through the ashes and counting the cost after the Baptist seminary in Kaduna was attacked during riots in late February.
Eleven people- including two students and a retired maintenance man- were killed when a mob overran the campus Feb. 22. Another student had been killed in town the day before.
The cost of replacing buildings burned during the assault may run as high as $5.3 million, reported Uche Enyioha, president of the seminary. And that doesn’t include the cost of replacing school furnishings, personal, belongings and library books, which had just reached the 10,000 level required for accreditation.
But the destruction of buildings and even the loss of life will not stop the growth of God’s kingdom in Nigeria, Baptist workers say.
Rioters killed 21 members of one Baptist church and burned 17 Baptist church buildings and 13 pastors’ homes, reported Southern Baptist missionary Don Copelan.
Another six church buildings only were looted, apparently because they were located too close to Muslim homes to be burned.
Four days of clashes between Muslims and Christians in the northern Nigeria city broke out Feb. 20 as Christians protested Muslim activist appeals to institute Islamic criminal law in Kaduna state. Hundreds of people were killed.
Vast destruction
Mosques, churches and businesses were burned. Hundreds of vehicles were destroyed or damaged.
Nigeria’s president, Olusegun Obasanjo, a southern Christian, condemned the violence, which quickly spread to the southeastern town of Aba, where Muslim traders were killed by Christians in revenge for the Kaduna attacks.
Within days, leaders of Muslim northern states agreed not to pursue strict “Sharia” law in order to preserve peace.
Newspapers in the country speculated the violence actually was inspired by northern politicians ousted in the elections that brought Obasanjo to power.
The board of governors is discussing whether to rebuild the seminary campus at its present site or relocate, Copeland said.
(BP)
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