Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja warns that “Nigeria’s security situation is getting out of hand,” reporting that violence is widespread and the people “don’t know where the security forces are.”

Saying that terrorist violence has become commonplace, the cardinal said: “Nobody is safe, not just Christians. It is as if the government has lost control.”

The situation is not simply a matter of religious conflict, Cardinal Onaiyekan said, citing the fact that terrorists are “more Muslims are dying than Christians because the center of the violence is in the Muslim-dominated northern states.”