A group of Catholic members were yesterday attacked in their parish by some suspected Muslim youths who accused them of worshiping on Friday, saying it was a day set aside for Muslim worship.
The incident was said to have occurred around 2pm in St Philip’s Catholic Parish Baki Iku, close to Zuma Rock, bordering the FCT and Niger State, shortly after the Muslim youths had closed from their Jumat service.
According to eyewitnesses, the suspected Muslim youths stormed the parish while the members were praying and attacked the Catholic members claiming that Friday is their day of prayer and that the Church only has right to worship on Sundays.
The Muslim youths in a fit of rage destroyed the Church properties including the doors, windows, musical instruments and altar.
The Catholic members managed to escape being lynched by the suspected irate Muslim youths while some soldiers who later arrived at the church premises managed to prevent more damage carried out on the church property
The Vicar General of the diocese, Rev Fr. Luka Sylvester Gopep, confirmed the incident. He said the security man on the premises was beaten to pulp while the seminarian resident in the parish was also beaten.
In his words, “sometime around 2pm, some Muslim youths in their hundreds left their Mosque after their Friday Jumat prayer and rushed to the Church premises, climbed the wall and destroyed everything in the Church: the windows, the altar, musical instruments, the chapel. The security man in the church premises was beaten to pulp. Some women who were holding a prayer meeting were chased away. The seminarian who is resident in the premises was also beaten up and chased away,” he stated.
Every attempt to get the Police spokesman, DCP Don Awunah, through his cellphone, to react to the incident, including a text message, proved abortive.
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