Attack on Nigerian church kills 15 worshippers

ABUJA, Nigeria—Gunmen killed 15 people in a Tuesday morning attack on a Catholic church in Nigeria’s Benue state. Officials said the gunmen targeted St. Ignatius Catholic Church in the Ayar-Mbalom community but also burned 50 houses. Benue state has faced multiple clashes between Muslim Fulani herdsmen and mostly Christian farmers in recent years. Changing environmental conditions have driven the herdsmen toward Nigeria’s Middle Belt in search of grazing pastures for their cattle. Less than a week ago, a suspected herdsmen attack killed 10 people in another area of the state. Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari in a statement condemned the attack as a violation of a place of worship and an attempt to stoke religious conflict.