LOS ANGELES, CA (ANS) -- A group of deeply concerned Nigerian woman are planning a protest on Saturday, March 20, 2010, in Los Angeles against the recent violence in Jos, Nigeria, which has seen more than 500 Christians murdered.

Nigerian women survivors of the recent violence

The planned protest, organized by a group called Nigerian Women Against Violence, was prompted by previous murderous attacks and then the latest brutality against Christians.

The latest attacks took place on Wednesday, March 17, 2020 when, less than two weeks after the initial deadly attacks, Muslim Fulani herdsmen unleashed more horrific violence on two Christian villages in Plateau state, killing 13 persons, including a pregnant woman and children.

Most of the victims of the raid on the village of Byei in the Riyom region of Nigeria's Plateau state were women and children, state radio reported.

“I can confirm that 13 people have died while six others have been critically injured,” Gregory Yenlong, the state's information commissioner, said.

Helen Bako

Helen Bako, who comes from the Jos area and now works as a social worker in Southern California, is the founder of Nigerian Women Against Violence.

She told ANS that the protest against “the recent bloodshed in Jos and the surrounding areas,” will take place at 11:00 AM on Saturday, March 20, 2010, at the the Gateway Sheraton, 6101 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, close to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) where representatives of the Nigerian government will be staying.

“Hundreds of women and children were brutally murdered by machetes and swords in Jos ten days ago,” Helen Bako told ANS. “Villagers continue to be attacked. Where was the Nigerian government? Where was the army? Where was the police? What are the facts?”

Smoke rises in Jos after latest round of violence

She added that Nigerian Women Against Violence calls on the international community and the United Nations to “hold the Government of Nigeria accountable to protect the lives of its citizens.”

She went on to say, “We believe the Nigerian Government has a responsibility to protect its children, its women, and its men, no matter what their religion. We call for an end of bloodshed in Nigeria no matter whose blood is shed.

“We call the Nigerian Government to invite an independent inquiry from the United Nations to establish what happened over the last several weeks in Jos. We want the world to know what happened. We don't want it to happen again. We are Nigerian woman. We are against violence. We call on our government to protect us and to protect our children.”

Nigerian Women Against Violence is a grass-roots organization of women dedicated to uncovering violence in Nigeria and doing what we can to make it stop.

For more information, contact Helen Bako, Nigerian Women Against Violence. Telephone: (714) 673-7770, FAX: (714) 734-8305
E-mail: bakohe@aol.com

Dan Wooding, 69, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 46 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding also a regular contributor to The Weekend Stand on the Crawford Broadcasting Network, and a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries. He is the author of some 43 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, also recently released “God’s Ambassadors in Japan” which is available at amazon.com.