May the safety of the Nigerian people always be guaranteed…

Pope Francis made this appeal at the conclusion of today’s Sept. 29 General Audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, while expressing his closeness to the victims of the recent attack in northern Nigeria.

“I have heard with pain the news of the armed attacks that took place last Sunday against the villages of Madamai and Abun, in northern Nigeria,” Francis said, stating: “I pray for those who have died, for those who have been injured and for the entire population of Nigeria.”

“I want the country to always guarantee the safety of all citizens,” he appealed.

According to media reports, at least 32 inhabitants of the Kaduna region were killed and dozens have been seriously injured in an alleged bandit attack perpetrated Sunday night. Eight other people died in the same region on Monday in a retaliatory attack.

According to the Nigerian newspaper Daily Post, during the Sunday attack in the two villages, the terrorists destroyed several houses in just over an hour. Sources state majority of the deceased were women and children.