From the 2011 post-election violence to repeated Southern Kaduna massacres between 2016and 2020, communities in this region have buried too many of their own. Churches, in particular, have been recurring targets - making Sunday’s attack a painful but familiar pattern. The First ECWA Church and St.

Augustine Catholic Church in Ariko were hit in the early hours of Sunday. Councillor Mark Bawa confirmed seven deaths, with casualty figures still being verified. When networks fail, distress calls don’t go through. When distress calls don’t go through, help doesn’t come. And when help doesn’t come, communities are left completely exposed. The Kaduna police spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, was unreachable for comment. Calls wentunanswered. Messages went unread. Meanwhile, the NNPP issued an Easter statement acknowledging rising insecurity across Plateau State and beyond - proof that this isn’t a Kaduna problem. The NNPP’s statement sounds well-meaning - but are Easter messages enough when people are being killed at the altar? Understanding why these attacks keep happening matters as much as reporting that they happened.

Seven people are dead. Several others were taken from their families on a holy day. The police were silent. The politicians were posting. You’ ve read the history. You’ve seen the gaps. You’ve felt the pattern. The people of Ariko shouldn’t have to keep asking if their lives matter to the people in power. Is this acceptable to you?