At least 50 killed in Nigeria church shooting.

 

Survivors inside of the church that was attacked. The Guardian/AP

At least 50 people have been killed in a terror attack targeting a church in Owo Nigeria. The Guardian. Officials called the incident a "satanic attack". The attack happened during a Pentecost event and the attackers detonated an explosive and then opened fire on the crowd. Some of the dead were children. Violence in Nigeria is common but rarely happens Ondo state, where the attack occurred.  Though no terror group has taken credit for the attack, it is being blamed on the Fulani ethnic group, who are Muslim wanderers. It is believed that this attack was a retaliation for restrictions aimed at stopping Fulani attacks. A priest was also believed to have been kidnapped and held hostage during the attack. 

My Comment:

Media outlets are downplaying the fact that the Fulani ethnic group is composed of Muslims while the victims of the attacks committed by the Fulani are mostly Christians. They are trying to portray this as a simple case of herder vs farmer conflict and are ignoring the religious aspect entirely. Though I don't doubt that the differences in lifestyles have contributed to attacks like this, ignoring the religious angle here seems diabolical. I am far from an expert on Nigeria though.

I also have to say that it is very possible that the initial reports about the attackers being Fulani could be wrong. They are certainly not the only terror group operating in Nigeria and the reports could be mistaken. 

In short, this seems like another example of a Muslim terror attack targeting a church. Churches have become popular terror targets for them, for multiple reasons. There is obviously the religious angle, which can't be underestimated. But churches make good targets for entirely secular and practical reasons. 

This is especially true during holidays like Pentecost. That means attendance is higher than usual and more people means more victims. Churches tend to be crowded with limited means of escape and a simple gun attack can kill a ton of people, unless the church is in Texas. In short, churches are a very good target if you wish to maximize casualties. Indeed, they are such good targets that I am surprised that more places haven't taken steps to protect them. Attacks targeting churches are among the most common and it would probably pay to have armed security at most of them. 

Nigeria has a long history of violence and terrorism and this incident is just another example of that. Indeed, they have had a long history of terrorism from Boko Haram, an ISIS affiliate, and when I heard about this attack I assumed it was that group that was responsible. Nigeria is unfortunate enough to have multiple terror groups running around. 

Unfortunately, I don't expect this to be the last terror attack in Nigeria anytime soon. The country does not appear to be well run at all and has major corruption problems. They almost defeated Boko Haram once but they group has made a comeback. The Fulani too are running rampant and even previously safe places, like the Ondo state where this happened, are descending into violence.