By SCM Correspondent, SE
ANAMBRA, Nigeria- Renowned Nigerian human-rights lawyer and Lead Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has strongly condemned the attack and killings that occurred at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Isiokwe, Lilu, in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Last Sunday, unknown gunmen stormed the church premises during worship, killing two persons, injuring several others, and setting ablaze multiple vehicles and other property. What should have been a peaceful Sunday service was violently transformed into what witnesses described as a scene of terror and desecration.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, titled “MIDWEEK MOURNFUL MUSING: WHEN DARKNESS INVADED THE ALTAR , A BLOOD-CHILLING SACRILEGE IN ANAMBRA; A Most Heinous Desecration of God’s Sanctuary; The Nation Must Not Keep Silent,” Ejiofor condemned the incident in the strongest possible terms.
“I condemn this atrocious, barbaric, and godless act in the strongest language humanly possible. No explanation will ever suffice; no justification can ever be entertained. This act is purely evil,”he declared.
Ejiofor called on security agencies to expand their investigation, deploy all necessary intelligence tools, and ensure that the perpetrators are tracked down without delay.
He also urged the Anambra State Government to use every lawful mechanism available to identify, apprehend, and prosecute those behind the attack.
“Let this tragedy awaken the conscience of the State and the nation. Let it galvanize swift action. Let it reaffirm our collective resolve that places of worship must never become battlegrounds, and that those who desecrate holy altars must never know peace until they face the full weight of the law,”he said.
Describing the severity of the incident, Ejiofor stated that a place of worship is the last place where violence should ever occur.
“A church is a sanctuary, not a slaughterhouse,”he stressed.
He explained that the attackers, whom he described as “men whose souls appear fully surrendered to the devil,” violated the sanctity of the church by inflicting terror on innocent congregants.
“By the time the smoke cleared and the terrified cries faded, two innocent worshippers lay dead murdered in cold blood within the very house of God. Several others sustained grievous injuries and now battle for their lives in hospital beds. Vehicles worth millions of naira were set ablaze, reduced to twisted ruins of ash and metal,”he added.
Ejiofor reiterated that the incident represents not just an attack on individuals but an assault on the moral and spiritual foundation of the community, urging both government and citizens to resist allowing such acts of sacrilege to become normalized.
The statement reads in full:
There are few spaces on earth regarded with such reverence, solemnity, and spiritual sanctity as the Church of God. Among Christendom, the Church is not merely a physical structure; it is a universal sanctuary, a sacred refuge where the faithful gather to commune with their Creator, seek forgiveness, meditate upon the Eternal Word, and be strengthened by holy fellowship.
On Sundays especially, Christians approach the altar with renewed hope, trusting in the manifest presence and divine protection of the Almighty God. A place of worship is the last place where one expects the venomous stench of violence, bloodshed, or brutality. It is a sanctuary, not a slaughterhouse.
Yet, what was meant to be a routine Sunday worship at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Isiokwe, Lilu community, was violently transformed into a grotesque theatre of horror,
a desecration so abominable that words scarcely suffice to capture its gravity.
Men whose souls appear to have been fully surrendered to the devil; men devoid of humanity, conscience, or fear of God, invaded the holy sanctuary and unleashed a rain of terror upon innocent worshippers gathered for prayers.
By the time the smoke cleared and the terrified cries faded, two innocent worshippers lay dead, murdered in cold blood within the very house of God. Several others sustained grievous injuries and now battle for their lives in hospital beds. Vehicles worth millions of naira were set ablaze, reduced to twisted ruins of ash and metal.
This is not just violence.
This is not merely criminality.
This is blasphemy against God and humanity.
A sacrilege of the highest order.
An unpardonable assault on our collective conscience.
WHERE IS OUR HUMANITY?
Once again, as so often happens, security agencies have begun what appears to be the usual slow-paced investigation and manhunt for the perpetrators. But we must ask ourselves:
What motivates human beings, if indeed they are human, to desecrate a holy sanctuary and spill innocent blood on the Lord’s Day?
Are these assailants truly of our land?
Are they sons of our soil?
Or are they deranged invaders, moral aliens whose hearts have long been darkened beyond recognition?
I, therefore, condemn this atrocious, barbaric, and godless act in the strongest terms human language can muster. No explanation will ever suffice. No justification can ever be entertained. This is pure evil.
I call on the security agencies to cast their dragnet wide, to intensify their investigation, to mobilize all necessary intelligence, and to ensure that no hiding place remains for these cowardly merchants of death.
I equally urge the Government of Anambra State to deploy every lawful mechanism of the State to unmask, apprehend, and prosecute these perpetrators.
Anambra has, in recent months, enjoyed relative peace.
This isolated eruption of wickedness must not be allowed to distort our trajectory.
The long arm of the law will, and must catch up with these criminals.
I join millions of Anglican faithful across Nigeria and beyond, in extending heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased worshippers, and to the Church of God in Lilu. No words can ever fill the void, but we stand with you in prayer, solidarity, and grief.
To those still in hospital, may the merciful God whose altar you sought that day grant you swift healing, restoration, and divine comfort.
“For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry… but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.”
— Psalm 34:15–16
May this eternal truth comfort the bereaved, strengthen the wounded, and assure the entire community that God Himself will expose, disgrace, and judge the wicked.
The blood of innocent worshippers cries out from the sanctuary floor. It demands justice. It demands accountability. It demands that we, as a people, refuse to normalize evil.
Let this tragedy awaken the conscience of the State and the nation. Let it galvanize swift action. Let it reaffirm our collective resolve that places of worship must never become battlegrounds, and that those who desecrate holy altars must never know peace until they face the full wrath of the law.
This is my solemn midweek reflection; an anguished reminder that evil thrives when good men remain silent.
We must not remain silent.
We must not look away.
Justice must prevail.
