Dear Editor,

I am appealing to the international community to condemn the recent killing of 20 Christians in northern Nigeria. This follows the spate of mayhem, shootings, and murder of Christians by the terrorist Islamist group named Boko Haram. Boko Haram means "Western education is sacrilege".

It appears to me that the Nigerian government is unable to arrest this situation. It is unacceptable to see Christians killed in the predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria while the Muslims in the predominantly southern Nigeria are allowed to worship their god peacefully. I am in no way advocating retaliation or reprisal.

For me, terrorism is a serious issue there. A Briton and an Italian were killed by militants a few months ago. The Islamist group bombed a UN building in Nigeria last year. I see this disturbing issue as a local phenomenon with international consequences. Therefore, I implore the US, UK and UN to intervene before Nigeria becomes another Afghanistan.

I thank God for the freedom of worship which exists in Jamaica. I urge the Christians here to join me in prayer for both divine and positive human intervention in the situation in Nigeria, the land of my birth. I, a naturalised Jamaican, am enjoying my Christian life here but I am deeply distressed to see Christians or anybody suffer violence in the hands of Islamists in northern Nigeria.

I ask Jamaicans to appreciate and cherish their robust democracy with all its attendant freedoms and rights.

Rev Ugochukwu Durueke

udurueke@yahoo.com