Jacob Rees Mogg writes:

Whilst it is easy to focus on domestic events, with the old saying that charity begins at home at the forefront of many people's minds, we must not forget what is happening in the rest of the world nor let our support waiver for those who are most in need.

Last week, I was invited by Aid to the Church in Need (ANC) to a Parliamentary event where I met Mrs. Margaret Attah. Mrs. Attah is a survivor of the Islamist extremist attack on St. Francis Xavier's Church in Owo, Southwest Nigeria, which took place on 5th June 2022. 

At the gathering, Mrs. Attah and her husband, Dominic, gave their accounts of the attack to Members of Parliament, which, tragically, left Mrs. Attah disabled for life. Mr. Attah explained that on Pentecost Sunday last year, every member of their parish went to church to celebrate. Just as Mass was finishing the first gunshots were heard. The bandits realised that their guns could not kill people quickly enough so they lit dynamite and threw that into the crowd. It was that blast which made Mrs. Attach lose both her legs and one eye; over forty Christians were killed and more than seventy were injured. ISWAP militants claimed responsibility for the atrocity yet, to date, no individuals have been arrested or prosecuted.

Mrs. Attah's dreadful experience is an awful reminder of how many are being persecuted for what they believe and it is up to the Nigerian Government – and other governments around the world – to do all it can to prevent further atrocities like this from happening again.  ACN's 2023 #RedWednesday campaign focuses on the suffering being endured by Christians in Africa so if you would like to know more details about the charity's work or get involved please visit: https://acnuk.org/our-campaigns/redwednesday/

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance: www.jacobreesmogg.com / [email protected]