Pope Francis on Sunday urged members of the Roman Catholic Church to pray for Nigeria, days after a military assault on protesters left at least nine civilians killed.

“Let us pray to the Lord for Nigeria, so that every form of violence might always be avoided, in the constant search of social harmony through the promotion of justice and the common good,” Pope Francis said at Sunday’s sermon in the Vatican.

His comments were also tweeted Sunday afternoon.
Nigeria was plunged into crisis after soldiers were deployed against protesters in Lagos’ Lekki neighbourhood.

The protesters were demanding an end to police brutality, a campaign which received worldwide support. No one has been held responsible for the killings.

President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to publicly acknowledge the military attack on protesters in Lagos, but urged a deescalation of looting, killing and vandalism nationwide.