MORE than 2000 people in northern Nigeria risked their lives by turning out for Mass on March 16 while their city was being bombed.
Describing St Patrick’s Cathedral, Maiduguri, as “packed”, Fr John Bakeni (pictured), the celebrant at the Mass, said people told him afterwards that if the attacks worsened they would prefer to die in church than anywhere else.
The Mass took place after suspected Boko Haram extremists launched one of their biggest armed campaigns of recent months, firing rocket-propelled grenades and mounting a massive assault on a military barracks.
Hundreds died in the attacks, which were repulsed by the Nigerian military, but there were growing concerns about the Government’s capacity to hold back the extremists.
“Yesterday morning there were a lot of bomb explosions but that did not seem to deter people from coming to church,” Fr John Bakeni said.
“It was a very humbling and edifying experience to see so many people at Mass.
“When it came to the homily, I said to them that there was no need to preach. I told them: ‘Your presence in such large numbers is a homily in itself.’”
The priest asked the world to pray for the people of Nigeria.
“Please pray that this violence will stop,” he said.
He described the start of the attacks early on March 14.
“We were greeted with the deafening sounds of bomb explosions, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire,” he said.
“There was confusion and pandemonium everywhere.”
Hundreds of insurgents, dressed in military fatigues, struck at Maiduguri’s Giwa Military Barracks and succeeded in releasing fellow fighters held in the cells.
Boko Haram has declared its enemies as the Nigerian Government, education institutes and the Church as well as moderate Muslims.
In military clashes that went on for more than four hours, more than 200 insurgents were reported dead following a massive drive by the Nigerian military to flush them out. Recently, Fr Bakeni and others reported that the enemy forces had “regrouped” and were mounting further attacks amid increasing concerns that Maiduguri was on the point of falling to the extremists.
“We are all living in fear now, looking up to God and counting on your prayers,” he said. “The (Nigerian) military are doing their very best but they lack modern weaponry to counter these guys who are far more sophisticated.”
ACN
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