(in solidarity with US Senators Josh Hawley, Mike Braun, Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, James Inhofe and others)
(Onitsha-Nigeria): Intersociety Int’l Report (Vol.2: 2022)
Monday, 4th July 2022
Executive Summary: 2,543 Christians Hacked To Death In Jan-June 2022
No fewer than 2,543 Christians were hacked to death or killed by the Nigerian Islamic Jihadists propagating radical Islamism. Also involved in the ‘egregious and industrial scale’ massacre of Christians in the country are members of the country’s security forces especially personnel and officers of the Nigerian Military drafted in Eastern Region part of the country particularly its Igbo-Trado-Judeo-Christian areas. The culpability of the security forces follows grave partisanship displayed in their operational modes and sectional composition of their command and control structures. The deployed security forces have thrown professionalism into the wind and engaged in gravely selective and witch-hunting operation and incessancy of indiscriminate killing of defenseless civilian Christians; killed not on the grounds of violent perpetration of heinous crimes in written laws of the country, but on the grounds of their ethnicity and religion. This is to the extent that in the past six months of this 2022, no fewer than 300 defenseless civilians of Igbo Southeast extraction were gravely shot and killed and at least 50 others abducted and permanently disappeared from custody till date. On 28th and 29th June 2022, for instance, several dozens of defenseless citizens (independently estimated at 100) were targeted and shot dead by military personnel in Ogbaru part of Anambra State in Southeast Nigeria; under the guise of “looking for Unknown Gunmen”.
Consequently, it is most likely correct to say that no fewer than 2,543 defenseless Christians have been hacked to death or killed in the past six months by the country’s Jihadists and their partners in crime within the country’s security forces. The massacre had taken place between January and March 2022 during which no fewer than 915 defenseless Christians were hacked to death or killed and April to June 2022 during which not less 1, 628 more Christians were killed or hacked to death. The breakdown shows that the military and other security forces accounted for 300 deaths and 50 permanent disappearances while the country’s Jihadists accounted for 2,193 others. Among the dead were 140 abducted citizens, representing 10% of the total number of abducted Christians in the past six months estimated at 1,401. Added to total number of the slain Christians were 100 deaths representing the “dark figures of crime” or those killed but not statistically captured or recorded. In the whole, Boko Haram/ISWA accounted for death of about 200 Christians mostly killed in Christian and religiously mixed areas of Borno, Kebbi, Adamawa and Niger States. Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen took responsibility for not less than 1400 deaths while Jihadist Fulani Bandits accounted for the remaining 600. Dozens of churches were also targeted and attacked and destroyed or burned down by the Jihadists in the said past six months of 2022. It must be remembered or recalled that International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) had in its ‘Special Int’l Report, Vol.1: 2022)’ of 5th April 2022 found that ‘no fewer than 5,191 Christians were hacked to death in Nigeria in 2021 and about 3,800 others abducted’. Our report also corroborated the Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List (WWL) on global killing of Christians’ index, which disclosed that “4,650 Christians were killed in Nigeria between Nov 2020 and Oct 2021, higher than 3,530 deaths recorded in the previous year (Oct 2019-Nov 2020) and 2500 abducted as against 900 abducted in the previous year”.
14 Christians Killed Daily And 420 Monthly As Kaduna, Niger, Plateau And Benue Top The List
The 2,543 Christian killings or deaths also indicated that fourteen were killed daily and 420 monthly while State by State breakdown indicates that Kaduna State is the worst hit with not less than 323 Christian deaths recorded in the past six months of 2022, followed by Christian parts of Niger State including Shiroro, Munya and Rafi Local Government Areas with 264 (213 deaths in Jan-March and 51 deaths in April-June) deaths. The third worst hit State is Plateau with 229, followed by Benue with 192, Taraba 176 (130 deaths in Jan-March and 46 in April-June), Borno 120, Ondo 112, Enugu 60, Abia 55, Kebbi 45, Ogun 40, Edo 30, Yobe 29, Delta 25, Bauchi 15 and Nasarawa and Kogi 15 deaths each; totaling 1,775 Christian deaths. The figures above did not include the following: 100 ‘dark figures of crime’, 140 Christian deaths arising from killings or deaths in the Jihadists’ custodies, 350 deaths arising from the Nigerian military’s ethno-religious killings and disappearances and 200 others arising from killings by Boko Haram/ISWA; bringing their grand total to no fewer than 2,543 Christian deaths in the past six months or January to June 2022.
Total Of 48, 187 Christians Hacked To Death Since July 2009 Boko Haram Uprising In Nigeria
In the past thirteen years and three months or July 2009 (Boko Haram Uprising) to June 2022, the Christian death tolls had risen to no fewer than 48,187, from 43,000 as at August 2021 or 45.644 as at 5th April 2022. The chief perpetrators or butchers have remained the country’s Jihadists comprising Nigerian Government aided and protected indigenous and foreign Fulani Herdsmen (fully transformed into Nigeria’s version of the Sudanese Janjaweed in 2016), the Fulani Bandits (formed for rural Fulani uprising against indigenous Hausa Muslims in Maradum, Zamfara in 2011, but centrally and religo-economically radicalized by extremist state actors and others in 2017) and other indigenous and non indigenous jihadist pastoralists including state actor and non state actor procured jihadist mercenaries. Apart from ‘industrially’ targeting defenseless Christians and their sacred places of worship or learning for wanton attacks or destruction, the Jihadists, excluding Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen also target and kill members of the Hausa Muslim population in Muslim dominated Northern States of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and North and Central Kaduna, etc.
50 Priests Abducted In Six Months On Religo-Economic Grounds, Eight Killed In Captivity
By available statistics and unrecorded others, Nigeria has in the past six months or January to June 2022 witnessed abominable abduction of not less than 50 Christian priests and out of this number, at least 30 were abducted on the ground of their faith including at least ten Catholic Priests. Among the abducted and freed victims is an Anglican Bishop. Priests have also joined the rank of those being abducted for non jihadist ransom. In Anambra State, for instance, not less than 10 Catholic Priests were abducted or their automobiles snatched at gunpoint between January and June 2022 by various kidnapping squads and their abductions were hardly made public. No fewer than eight Christian Priests including at least three Catholic Priests (Fathers Bako, Borogo and Odia, etc) were killed in captivity by Jihadists in the past six months. See the supporting statistics below for more details.
1,401 Christians Abducted In Jan-June 2022 And 140 Or 10% Died In Captivity
A total of not less than 700 Christians were abducted between January and March 2022 and between April and June 2022, not less than 701 others were abducted, totaling 1,401, out of which, not less than 140 or 10% died in the custody of their jihadist abductors. In the Southeast Triangle of Isuochi in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State where Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen have seized and laid siege despite heavy military and police roadblock presence, dozens of abducted Igbo Christian travelers have died in the captivity of their Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen abductors. According to a freed victim of Jihadist Herdsmen abduction who was abducted on 15th June 2022 and freed on 17th June after payment of N20m ransom, “sites where they were dumped to decompose have been covered by swarm of flies and stenches were oozing out hazardously”. The Jihadist Captivity slain victims have died as a result of torture or gunshot injuries or captivity killings arising from their inability to pay ransom or submit themselves for rape/other sexual assaults (if ladies or females) and for professing Christianity and other religious or ethnic identities such as being ‘Igbo Christians’.
Our Sources/Intellectual References Contained In 10-Page Supporting Data Below
Intersociety has been monitoring, documenting and exposing the killing of Christians and burning or destruction of their sacred places of worship as well as persecution of minority Moslems in Nigeria or any part thereof since 2010. Intersociety is totally against religious intolerance and all forms of ethnic bigotry and intra and inter-denominational fanaticism including attacks against benevolent members of traditional religion and destruction of their symbols of worship such as sanctuaries and artifacts. We are firm believers in religious freedom and freedom of peaceful and tolerant worship as guaranteed by the Nigeria’s Fundamental Human Rights provisions and others contained in its signed and ratified or domesticated regional and international Rights Treaty Laws including the African Rights Charter of 1981 and the UN Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Covenants of 1976. Therefore, contained in the 10-Page supporting data below are gathered and verified sources/intellectual references. The backup statistics include content of names of slain and wounded Christians facing persecution in Northern Nigeria or any part thereof. In the backup statistics are also numerous verifiable local and international media reports, opinions, research and investigative findings and so on; and they include the Morning Star News (leading investigators of anti Christian persecution in Nigeria) and the Nigerian Security Tracker Weekly of the US Council on Foreign Relations.
Thanking US Senators And Others
We at the Int’l Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), Nigeria’s leading research and investigative Rights and Democracy organization since 2008 are deeply joyous, grateful and thankful to the respected US Senators. We are particularly appreciative of their ongoing international pressure and campaign in aid of persecuted Christians and minority others in Nigeria or any part thereof. These historic international moves of theirs have also elevated them to enviable status of “Amicus Curiae for persecuted Christians and Minority others in Nigeria”, geared towards ending chronic and pandemic violence against Christians in the country. Particularly gladdening and gratifying was the respected US Senators’ 29th June 2022 powerful letter to US Secretary of State, the Honorable Antony Blinken. The joint letter, signed by Senators Josh Hawley, Mike Braun, Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio and James Inhofe was on account of the US Government’s indifference over the horrific acts of violence against defenseless Christians and their sacred places of worship or learning by the country’s congregated and aggregated Islamic Jihadists; and failure, inability and unwillingness of the present central Government of Nigeria to effectively checkmate or put a stop to same. We also thank in a special way the similar efforts by the Heroine of the UK House of Lords, Madam Caroline Cox and Lord David Alton of Liverpool and concerned others as well as dogged efforts of the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington DC, the Nigerian Americans in Washington, DC, the US Congress Nigeria Caucus and the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU). We prayerfully urge them to remain resilient and unyielding until the armadas of butchery against Nigerian Christians are brought to end and the perpetrators punitively sanctioned locally and internationally
End Of Executive Summary
Signed:
For: International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety)
International Principal Officers
Emeka Umeagbalasi (Criminologist/M.Sc.), Board Chairman
Chinwe Umeche Esquire, LLB, BL, Head, Democracy and Good Governance
Obianuju Joy Igboeli Esquire, LLB, BL, Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law
Chidimma Udegbunam Esquire, LLB, BL, Head, Campaign and Publicity
Ndidiamaka Bernard Esquire, LLB, BL, LLM, Head, Int’l Justice and Human Rights
Samuel Kamanyaoku, HND, Head, Field Data Collection and Documentation
Contacts: Phone/WhatsApp: +2348174090052, Email: info@intersociety-ng.org , Website: https://intersociety-ng.org
Intellectual References And Supporting Others
Nigerian Security Tracker Weekly Of The Council On Foreign Relations: April-June 2022
Late March 2022: March 26: 30 abducted by Fulani Bandits in Munya, Niger State, 27th March, 15 killed by Fulani Jihadists in Christian areas of Giwa in Kaduna State, 28th March, at least eight train travelers killed and over 20 others abducted in Kachia, Kaduna State, March 28, Jihadist Herdsmen killed one in Ughelli, Delta State and five killed in Bassa, Plateau State, March 28, Jihadist Herdsmen killed four in Guma, Benue State and six killed in Zango-Kataf, Kaduna, 29th March, 23 Christians killed and scores of others abducted in Giwa, Kaduna State, 29th March, Jihadist Herdsmen killed three in Guma, Benue State, 29th March, over 15 travelers abducted in Chikun, Kaduna State, 30th March, 10 abducted in Zaria and two in Kajuru, Kaduna State, 31st March, three killed and 20 abducted in Chikun, Kaduna State, 31st March, Jihadist
Herdsmen killed two in Bassa, Plateau State and abducted seven students in Okigwe, Imo State.
April 2022: April 2: Jihadist Herdsmen killed 12 in Bassa, Plateau State, April 3, Jihadist Herdsmen killed three in Bassa, Plateau State, April 6, two killed in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, April 7, three killed and 20 abducted in Christian held areas of Shiroro, Niger State, April 7, Jihadist Herdsmen killed five in Ovia North-East, Edo State and three killed by Fulani Bandits in Munya, Niger State, April 9, two Christians abducted in Mangu, Plateau State, April 10, two Hausa Christians killed by Fulani Bandits in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, April 10, Jihadist Herdsmen massacred 106 Christians and abducted over 70 others in Kanam, Plateau State, April 10, Jihadist Herdsmen killed 15 in Chikun, Kaduna State, April 11, Jihadist Herdsmen killed 15 in Tarka LGA and nine others in Guma and one in Logo; all in Benue State, April 12, Jihadist Herdsmen killed three and abducted two in Isi-Uzo, Enugu State, April 16, two killed in Kaura, Kaduna State, April 17, four killed and four abducted in Kajuru, Kaduna State, April 19, two killed in Bassa, Plateau State, April 20, Boko Haram killed at least 17 Christians in Damaturu, Yobe State, April 20, twenty abducted by Jihadist Fulani Bandits on the road in Mopa-Muno, Kogi State, April 21, Jihadist Herdsmen killed eight in Kwande and 14 in Gwer West; all in Benue State, April 23, Jihadist Herdsmen abducted ten in Ogbaru, Anambra State, April 23, two Christians killed at a wedding in Bauchi State, April 23, three killed in Offa, Kwara State, April 25, Jihadist Herdsmen/Fulani Bandits killed 25 in Kauru, Kaduna State, April 28, Jihadist Herdsmen killed two in Logo, Benue State and abducted six in Kachia, Kaduna State and on April 30, five Christians killed and 20 abducted in Wase, Plateau State.
May 2022:
May 3: Boko Haram Jihadists killed nine Christians in Chibok, Borno State, May 5, Jihadist Herdsmen killed eight in Bassa, Plateau State, May 9, three Christians killed in Tafawa-Belewa, Bauchi State, May 10, thirty-four (34) killed in Takum, Taraba State and three killed in Ningi, Bauchi State, May 13, Jihadist Herdsmen killed one in Isi-Uzo, Enugu State, May 14, one Christian killed and 20 abducted in Chikun, Kaduna State, May 16, four students abducted in Jema’a and 30 in Kachia, Kaduna State, May 17, suspected Jihadist Herdsmen killed four in Ikwo, Ebonyi State, May 17, Jihadist Herdsmen killed one and abducted over ten in Isiukwuato, Abia State, May 18, Muslim fanatics killed over four Igbo traders at Jabi Timber’s Market, FCT, Abuja, May 18, seven abducted by Fulani Jihadist Bandits in Abaji, FCT, Abuja, May 20, Jihadist Herdsmen killed five in Guma, Benue State, May 21, Boko Haram killed sixty mainly Christians in Kala Balge, Borno State, May 28, one killed and two abducted in Lafia, Nasarawa State, May 29, Jihadist Herdsmen abducted three in Umunneochi, Abia State, May 31, Fulani Bandits and jihadist others abducted 37 in Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna State.
June 2022:
June 2: five abducted in Gassol, Taraba State, June 3, fourteen killed in Bassa, Kogi State, June 4, fourteen abducted in Kajuru, Kaduna State, June 4, two killed and over 10 abducted in Ekiti, Kwara State, June 4, a Christian was killed in Okehi, Kogi State for blasphemy, June 4, Jihadist Herdsmen killed one in Jos South, Plateau State, June 4, Jihadist Herdsmen abducted two in Umuahia North, Abia State, June 5, as much as 82 Catholic Church worshippers including scores of Igbo natives massacred by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen during a Sunday service in Owo, Ondo State, June 5, 32 Christians killed in Kajuru, Kaduna State by combined forces of Jihadist Herdsmen and jihadist security forces, June 6, Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen killed two in Logo, Benue State, June 6, Boko Haram abducted ten in Konduga and ISWA abducted 23 in Dikwa, Borno State; among them were Christians, June 8, Jihadist Herdsmen killed eight in Ondo West, Ondo State, June 9, nine killed in Bassa, Kogi State, June 11, fifteen abducted by Jihadist Herdsmen in Isu, Imo State, June 12, three abducted in Ajiba, Oyo State,June 12, thirty-seven Christians killed in Okpokwu, Benue State, June 13, two abducted from a Church in Ewekoro, Ogun State, June 13, Jihadist Herdsmen killed two in Isi-Uzo, Enugu State, June 14, Jihadist Herdsmen killed two in Igbo-Eze, Enugu State, June 14, Jihadist Herdsmen killed five in Isi-Uzo, Enugu State, June 14, Fulani Jihadists massacred 30 mainly Christians in Danko-Wasegu, Kebbi State, June 15, three killed and 30 abducted in predominant Christian part of Rafi in Niger State. On June 16, Jihadist Herdsmen killed two in Ogbodibia, Benue State, June 16, four killed in Alkaleri, Bauchi State, June 16, Boko Haram/ISWA killed eleven at IDP camp in Bama, Borno State, June 17, three Humanitarian Aid Workers abducted by ISWA in Munguno, Borno State, June 18, five abducted by Bandits in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, June 18, two abducted in Toro, Bauchi State, June 19, four Christians killed and 44 others abducted in Kajuru, Kaduna State, June 19, thirteen abducted in Akoko-Edo, Edo State, June 19, Jihadist Herdsmen abducted six in Udi, Enugu State, (June 19, a university teacher/physician who was abducted on June 15 and released on 17th June revealed how his Jihadist Fulani captors that took him inside Isuochi Forest threatened to kill him, having abducted and killed over 50 other Igbo Christians between January and June 2022 for professing to be Christians or refusing to pay huge ransoms demanded or refusing to be raped or sexually degraded and he said he was taken near their dumping sites inside the Forest, covered by swam of flies and smokes of stench); June 20, Jihadist Herdsmen killed 16 in Guma, Benue State, June 21, seven abducted in Chikun, Kaduna State, June 21, seven abducted in Lokoja, Kogi State, June 21, Jihadist Herdsmen killed three in Sapele, Delta State, June 22, Fulani Bandits abducted 22 in Abaji, FCT, Abuja.
Morning Star News And Other Sources
Herdsmen and Others Kill 18 Christians in Northern Nigeria
Assailants burn down 92 homes.
ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Fulani herdsmen and others on Tuesday night (April 26) attacked four villages in Kaduna state, Nigeria, killing 18 Christians and burning down 92 houses, sources said. The killings took place in three of the four villages. In Kauru County, the assailants killed 11 Christians in Ungwan Rimi village, six in Ungwan Magaji village and one at Kitakum village, said Abel Habila Adamu, president of the Chawai Development Association (CDA), in a press statement. “Despite the ongoing peace talks between the Fulani herdsmen and the Christians of host communities in Tsam Chiefdom by relevant stakeholders, international organizations and NGOs, yet peace seems to be elusive as there are continuous attacks on the peace-loving people of Ungwan, Rimi Ungwan Magaji and Kitagum communities, all in Kamaru ward of Tsam Chiefdom, Kauru LGA, Kaduna state,” Adamu said. He said the attacks injured seven Chritians and destroyed 92 homes. “The Chawai (Tsam) Development Association condemns in strong terms the resurfacing of unabated attacks on our land and people by bandits and herdsmen,” Adamu said. Killed in Ungwan Rimi were Daniel Sunday, 47; Andrew John, 27; Ariko Adi, 28; Jummai Thomas, 87; Monday Gani, 29; John Amah, 52; David Amah, 63; Malu David, 31; Moris Kure, 53; Ravo Agah, 61; and Sati Ringo, 39, according to Adamu. He identified the slain at Ungwan Magaji village as Danladi Adaraso, 56; Monday Yerima, 50; Tupac John, 40; Malu Vulah, 45; Lydia Danladi, 30; and Mary Danladi, 27. In Kitakum village, 102-year-old Garba Akur was killed. Three wounded Christians were identified in the attack on Ungwan Magaji: Ayuba Adamu, Bawa Joshua and Asabe Danladi.
Adamu identified one person injured, Audu Tulu, at a fourth village, Ungwan Makera. In Ungwan Rimi, 52 houses were destroyed, while residents of Kitakum lost 32 homes and those in Ungwan Makera lost eight, he said. Dozens of motorcycles were burned, and two were stolen, he said. Area residents lamented the bloodshed in text messages to Morning Star News. “Herdsmen have again carried out raids on four of our villages in Chawai Chiefdom of Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna state,” said Barnabas Barazan. “It is unfortunate that these attacks have continued without end. Arise, oh Lord, and let your enemies be scattered!” Micah Magaji wrote, “We are again saddened with the invasion of four villages of Chawai in Kauru Local Government Area. God of vengeance, we look up to thee.”
“Attacks on our Christian communities carried out by armed herdsmen and terrorists have continued to affect us,” wrote Yohanna Chawai. “We pray God to comfort us all at this moment of grief.” Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report. Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report. In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year. Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report. “They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP [Islamic State West Africa Province] and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states. Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.
Fulani, terrorists kill 74 Nigerian Christians
ABUJA, Nigeria, 24th May 2022 — Muslim Fulani herdsmen and their terrorist collaborators continue to kill Christians and have expanded into another area of Nigeria.
The following are some recent attacks reported by Morning Star News.
- Eight Christians were killed May 5 in the Kwall District of Plateau state by Fulani and possible Islamic State members. In Miango District in April at least 21 Christians were killed.
- Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) raided Kautikari town in Borno state May 3, killing eight Christians.
- Taraba state experienced its first ISWAP attack April 19, showing that the group is expanding. Six Christians were killed in Isware by an explosive device thrown into their gathering place. Another attack in Isware occurred April 22 in which 11 were wounded.
- Islamic extremists murdered 12 Christians in Yobe state’s Geidam April 20 by slitting their throats. On April 24 an explosive device killed a Christian in Gashua.
- Fulani and collaborators attacked four villages April 26 in Kaduna state, killing 18 Christians.
Attack on Church in Southwest Nigeria Remains a Mystery
30th June 2022: Number of slain independently put at 82.
ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Nearly a month after an attack on a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria, the number killed and the identity of the assailants remain unclear, though the church held a funeral service for “over 40” victims. The June 5 bomb and gun attack at the end of Mass at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, in normally quiet Ondo state, shocked the city as it did the country. A visiting speaker from western Nigeria’s Oyo state, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, said at a June 17 funeral service in Owo that “over 40 of our departed people” were killed, while ABC News cited an unnamed source as saying there were 82 bodies from the attack taken to a local morgues. A lawmaker representing Owo Constituency I, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, who visited the site shortly after the attack, reportedly said at least 70 people were killed and injured, while the state government said 40 were killed and 87 wounded. A priest at the church, the Rev. Andrew Abayomi, told Morning Star News that as worship service was coming to an end, the terrorists threw explosive devices on the church building and shot at worshippers. A spokesman for the Nigeria Police Force’s command in Ondo state said that some of the gunmen were disguised as members of the congregation and opened fire inside the church building, while terrorists outside fired at worshippers as they fled
Police reportedly recovered three undetonated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from the scene along with fragments of detonated IEDs and pellets of spent AK-47 ammunition, according to the spokesman. While Interior officials in Nigeria reportedly said the attack showed marks of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), local people suspected weaponized Fulani herdsmen. Bishop Badejo said at the funeral service that few of the tragic killings that have overtaken Nigeria in recent years could compare with “the brutality and gruesomeness of the event on that Pentecost Sunday.” “No doubt we all gather today in deep sorrow and mourning for this funeral Mass of over 40 of our departed people who were brutally murdered, mindlessly massacred,” Badejo said. “As our deceased brothers and sisters lay here, there are almost 75 others who sustained different degrees of injuries in the same incident.” The dead ranged in age from 85-year-old, Bridget Ozulumba to children like 2-year-old Chukwuemeka Emmanuel Njoku and Mathilda Ogungbade, 3, he said. “None of the dead or injured did anything wrong except that they came to worship God at the foot of the cross and altar on that day,” Badejo said. “There, sudden death was inflicted upon them and deep sorrow upon their dear ones left behind.” He appealed to those present to refuse to be crushed but have hope because of their faith in Christ. “Today, difficult though it is, let us choose more to give thanks to God that He gave our departed brethren the life, the faith and the privilege of belonging to Him and of returning to Him, even in this incomprehensible manner,” he said. “I would still understand it if someone here would say to me, ‘Preacher man, come on, you don’t feel the anger I feel, you don’t know the pain I feel’… Yet we still find consolation.” Badejo cited King David agonizing in tears in the Psalms even as he maintained hope, and Martha in the Gospel of John maintaining hope in the resurrection. “So, my dear people, the summit and summary of all our sentiments today is our surrender to Jesus Christ on Whom we keep our gaze as the Author and finisher of our faith. We see Him at the Stations of the Cross. We see him in His persecution, suffering and murder.”
To surrender to Christ is not to succumb to evil, he said. “On this kind of occasion it is opportune to ask: ‘How many more must die before the senseless killings in Nigeria stop?’ In these coffins a part of Nigeria lies dead too,” he said. “Our Christian faith, strong as it is, is thoroughly tested when we remember that the massacre in Owo is not an isolated case in our country, and that we see little on the ground to indicate that it might be the last.” He cited a report from SB Morgen Intelligence, a Nigeria-based research firm, stating that nearly 900 Nigerians were killed in violent attacks in the first quarter of this year alone. “Even as I speak, many priests and citizens of Nigeria are in the hands of kidnappers,” Badejo said. “How many more must die? Jesus Christ came and died so that we might live…So we are not walking corpses merely waiting to be killed, nor are we suicide cases. So we are compelled to ask Nigeria, our leaders: ‘Are you still our leaders? Are we at war? How many more must die?’”
Armed Terrorists Kill Christians near Kaduna City, Nigeria
April 6, 2022
Three slain on March 31, two kidnapped
ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Armed terrorists on Thursday night (March 31) raided a predominantly Christian suburb of Kaduna city in northern Nigeria, killing three Christians and wounding three others, sources said. The gunmen attacked Angwan Bulus village, in the Sabon Tasha area of Chikun County, late at night, said the Rev. Ibrahim Simon, an area pastor. “Please pray along with us, as we at Angwan Bulus community in Sabon Tasha, Kaduna state, are right now being attacked by terrorists,” Pastor Simon said in a text message to Morning Star News. “The community is under serious siege from gunmen. At the moment, three Christians are confirmed dead, and three others have been injured.” Among those killed was an employee of a Christian ministry, the Kaduna Rescue Mission, another source said. The attack began at about 9 p.m., according to another area resident, Suzan Audu Makama. “Only God can rescue us now,” Makama said. “We at Angwan Bulus in Sabo Tasha need your prayers.” Ezekiel Gabriel of the city of Kaduna said he was visiting a relative at Angwan Bulus when the attack began. “I was at Angwan Bulus around 9 p.m. this night, and the next thing I heard was multiple gunshots,” Gabriel said in a text message to Morning Star News. “Terrorists attacked this Christian community. They shot some people, and people were running; children were running, and I had to run for my life too.” Gabriel managed to transport some victims out of the area in his car to a safe part of Kaduna city, he said. “Christians are really suffering here in Kaduna,” Gabriel said.
Two Kidnapped
The previous day, March 30, suspected Fulani herdsmen kidnapped two Christians working at their farms in Angwan Barde village, another suburb of the city of Kaduna. Theo Danjuma of Angwan Barde said the herdsmen phoned the families of the two Christian farmers and demanded ransom payments for their release. “Christian residents of Angwan Barde are mostly peasant farmers – these herdsmen bandits demand ransoms in millions of naira,” Danjuma said in a text message to Morning Star News. “Where will the families of these kidnapped Christian farmers get such amounts being demanded?” Angwan Barde village is located along the Kaduna-Abuja highway where kidnappings by herdsmen and terrorists have gained notoriety.
Nine Christians Killed
Armed herdsmen and terrorists attacked the villages of Kpemu, Gwegna, Koliko and Chivin in Kagarko County, Kaduna state on March 28, killing three Christians, residents said. Kagarko Council official Godwin Magaji said three Christians were killed and six others injured in the attacks, and that the wounded were receiving hospital treatment. Also March 28, herdsmen in collaboration with terrorists attacked Ungwan Bulus, a predominantly Christian community in Zangon Kataf County, Kaduna state, killing six Christians, said area resident Jonathan Bobai. Confirming that six Christians were killed, Ungwan Bulus community leader Samuel Achie said terrorists invaded the village at about 9:30 p.m. “The attacks by these terrorists have gone unabated,” Achie said. “The government is yet to come up with any concrete steps to bring the ugly incidences to an end.” The Rev. John Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said Christians mourning the deaths of their loved ones has become commonplace and accepted by Nigeria authorities.“A nation where mourning has become an everyday ordeal cannot be productive, because a heart that mourns becomes fragile, unable to think, plan or organize well,” Hayab said. “We call on all Christians and people of goodwill in Kaduna state to continue to pray for peace to reign and persecution of Christians to end.”
Christian Association of Nigeria calls for more security after lethal attack on train
World Council of Churches, 14th April 2022
After an armed gang in northern Nigeria killed eight people, injured two dozen more, and abducted some of the 400 passengers on a train, the Christian Association of Nigeria repeated demands for greater government security. Rev. John Joseph Hayab, a Baptist pastor and president of the Kaduna State branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria, the biggest ecumenical group in Nigeria, said the call was made after the 28 March attack. The latest attack adds to persistent and increasing attacks on Christians from Islamist organizations or other groups working with them. Poor security has triggered mass internal displacement in Nigeria’s north, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee the country. Groups such as Boko Haram, Fulani herders, and Islamic State West Africa Province operate in different parts of the northern region and often target minority Christians in the north, according to numerous reports. According to a local priest, Boko Haram militants conduct nighttime raids on villages in neighboring Cameroon and kill all the men. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, and of its population of some 225 million, just around 50 percent are believed to be Muslims, mostly living in the north, and the majority of the other half are Christians, who tend to live in the southern parts.
Internally displaced:
The UN Refugee Agency says almost 2.2 million people from Nigeria’s northeast are internally displaced and more than 983,700 in the northwest, while more than 330,000 Nigerians are refugees in Cameroon. The UN said that 93 percent of those who fled the northeast did so due to insurgency, six percent due to communal clashes, and one percent displaced by natural disasters. Release International, a group that works for persecuted Christians, reported on 25 March an earlier attack by Islamist militants that left more than 30 people dead, citing an earlier statement from the Christian Association of Nigeria. The Kaduna chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria said then that Christians were grieving “the continued killings, kidnappings, banditry and the unimaginable evil going on in our state unabated, without any substantial action by the government and security forces.” Kidnapping for ransom has increased, with three priests taken in March. Terrorists killed at least 536 Nigerians in the first three months of 2022, with many of the attacks taking place in the country’s north. “The violence against Christians in Nigeria has intensified in recent months. In spite of this, the Nigeria faithful remain steadfast in faith and need our prayers and compassion,” said Aid to the Church in Need.
Nigeria’s Morning Star News reported that Fulani herders killed around 50 believers in attacks on ten predominantly Christian communities in Giwa county, Kaduna, on 24 March. Rev. Felix Zakari, a Roman Catholic priest, was among around 100 people taken captive. Locals reported that a church building, houses, and stores had been burned down and animals killed. Resident Nuhu Musa told Morning Star News by text message: “They didn’t allow even the dead bodies to be buried, as they shot at mourners and those who returned to the villages to conduct funerals for those killed.”
AT LEAST EIGHT SLAIN IN ATTACK ON CHRISTIAN AREA OF NIGERIA:
MORNING STAR NEWS | MAY 9TH, 2022 10:27 AM ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – At least eight people were killed in an attack earlier this month (May 3) by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on a predominantly Christian village in northeastern Nigerian State of Borno, sources said. In the latest of several attacks by the Islamic extremists on Christian communities in Chibok County, Borno state, ISWAP militants stormed Kautikari town after 6 p.m., not only shooting people dead but looting properties and destroying many homes, area residents said. “Kautikari community is right now being attacked by ISWAP (Boko Haram) terrorists,” area resident Musa Nkeki told Morning Star News in a text message. “Your prayer is urgently needed for God’s intervention.”Resident Yohanna Daniel also texted Morning Star News, saying, “We need security intervention please, before it is too late.”The two residents said hundreds of residents had fled the area. Daniel identified the slain as Yanta Ali, Mallum Dzakwa, Dawi Pogu, Lado Manu, Joshu’a Sanda, Tabji Mutah, Albert Tabji and Ngwaksa Aboku. Local sources told the Daily Trust newspaper that eight bodies had been recovered, that many people were still missing and that the assailants had burned down a military base.
Second attack in the Chibok area in less than a month:
Nkeki told Morning Star News that this was the second attack in the Chibok area in less than a month, as ISWAP terrorists on April 18 attacked Yimirmugza village, abducting six Christians. “They shot sporadically on anyone in sight, thereby forcing all Christian residents to flee for their lives,” Nkeki said. “At the end of the attack, the terrorists killed a Christian by the name of Godwin Isa’ac and abducted six girls.” He identified the six kidnapped girls as Christiana Fali, Rhoda Fali, Hannatu Fali and Lydia Fali, all from one family, and Asabe Sunday and Rifkatu John. The terrorists also carted away livestock, food and valuable items, he said. On Feb. 25, suspected ISWAP terrorists killed three Christians in an attack on Kautikari and destroyed a church building. Kautikari was also attacked in mid-January, when 24 Christian women and children were captured and taken into captivity, and a worship auditorium of a local congregation was also damaged. Three persons were said to have been killed and many houses and church buildings burned. ISWAP attacked another Chibok town, Piyemi, on Jan. 20, with 19 people, mostly girls, abducted and a vigilante leader beheaded. Chibok leaders have reported that their communities have been attacked more than 72 times since the 2014 kidnapping of 276 public high school girls in the predominantly Christian area. After eight years in which 57 girls escaped on their own and others were released, 110 of the girls remain in captivity, according a report released in late January by the Chibok Area Development Association.
Clergyman Kidnapped, Christians Killed in Northern Nigeria
Eight Christians slain in Bauchi State.
May 30, 2022 By Our Nigeria Correspondent
ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Abductions of Christian church leaders continued in northern Nigeria with the kidnapping of two Roman Catholic priests last week and two other clergymen earlier this month in Katsina state, sources said.
The kidnapping early on Wednesday (May 25) of priests Stephen Ojapah and Oliver Okpara, along with two parishioners from the rectory of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Gidan Maikambo, Kafur County, followed the abduction of an evangelical pastor three weeks earlier in the state, residents told Morning Star News. Gunmen broke into the rectory after midnight, said the Rev. Chris Omotosho, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, in a statement.“The parish priest and his assistant, the Rev. Oliver Okpara, and two boys in the house were kidnapped,” Omotosho said. “No information as to their whereabouts. Fr. Ojapah is a priest of my congregation, the Missionary Society of St. Paul, and a very close friend of mine. Please keep him, his assistant and the two boys kidnapped in your prayers.” On May 8, the Rev. Matthew Moses of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) was kidnapped, said James Saleh, coordinator of Evangelical Missionary Society of the ECWA. “Another missionary, Matthew Moses, serving in Katsina state, northwest Nigeria, was kidnapped on Sunday, 8 May,” Saleh said in a statement. “Kindly pray for divine intervention for his release along with others.”Gabriel Michael, a resident of Katsina state, told Morning Star News that persecution has become commonplace for Christians in the state.“Katsina state is currently under the firm grip of Islamic terrorists,” Michael said in a text message. “They invade churches and Christian communities at will, and nothing has been done by the authorities to end these invasions.” Muslim terrorists have taken over the areas of Kafur, Zango, Kurfi, Baure, Bindawa, Danja, Ingawa and Kankara, he said. “Any Christian kidnapped in these areas can never be rescued,” he said. “Even local government areas like Katsina, Daura, Malumfashi, Dutsin-Ma, and Jibiya which many consider to be relatively safer, are dangerous zone for Christians in Katsina sate. Villages in these areas are Islamic terrorist enclaves.” On May 19, a priest with the Anglican Church in Katsina, the Ven. Yohanna Haruna, was kidnapped from his church by armed terrorists, according to the general secretary of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). In Zaria, Kaduna state, a priest kidnapped in March was freed on May 3. The Rev. Felix Zakari Fidson of St. Ann’s Catholic Church had been taken away at gunpoint on March 24 from Zangon Tama.
Christian Killings in Bauchi State
In northeastern Nigeria’s Bauchi state, three Christians were killed in an attack in Tafawa Balewa County on May 9, sources said.
Ahmed Wakil, a spokesman for the Bauchi State Police Command, identified the victims as Samaila Bello, Kefas Sarki (Cephas Tserki, according to an area resident) and Paulina Alhamdu. “We received a distress call on May 9 at about 21:30 hours that some armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the Num area of Sara village,” Wakil said. “They opened fire on members of the community causing the death of three persons, while two others, Gode Bulus and Zakka Mayo [Zaka Matthew, according an area resident] were injured.” Area resident Joel Muntsira said Muslim terrorists invaded the village, killed three Christians and wounded five others: Maryamu Yakubu, Naomi Taos, Yelwa Bala, Gode Bulus and Zaka Matthew. Esther Damion, a resident of Tafawa Balewa, told Morning Star News that it appears the international community has forgotten Christians facing persecution in northern Nigeria. “The world has completely forgotten about terrorist attacks and invasions of Christian communities in Nigeria,” she said in a text message. “Christians die here as a result of terrorist attacks, but the world is silent over these atrocities against us.” Ga’Allah Daniel, president of the Zaar Youth Development Association, is from the area. “We experienced a series of attacks on our people during farming season last year, and now that this year’s farming season is setting in, we have started witnessing it again with this present attack,” Daniel said. In the city of Bauchi, five Christians were killed in related attacks in April, area residents said. A group of Muslims on April 22 invaded the home of a Christian couple holding a “send-forth” prayer meeting for their daughter, who was to be wedded the next day, and killed two Christians in attendance, said area resident Emmanuel Habakkuk. “A Muslim mob invaded the prayer program, attacked Christians at the event, and shot to death two of them,” Habakkuk said.“The incident took place in the home of a Christian, Mr. Ezra Yari, the father of the bride.” Five days after the attack on the home in the Gudun Hausawa area of the city, Muslims on April 27 attacked Christians at the funeral of the two slain Christians, killing three more Christians, he said. “Three more Christians were killed during the funeral of the two Christians killed five days earlier at a send-forth prayer program,” Habakkuk said. “This is aside from houses of Christians in the area that were destroyed and set ablaze.”
The Rev. Abraham Damina Dimeus, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bauchi State Chapter, confirmed the attacks in a press statement. “Let’s be prayerful and leave vengeance to God,” Dimeus said. “I know that we’re facing pressure from terrorists and Muslim mobs who have been attacking our communities, but please remain calm as we have presented our plight to the government and are asking authorities to act towards protecting us.” State police spokesman Wakil confirmed the two attacks. He identified the two Christians slain on April 22 as Gift Felix, 17, and Shalon Memdir, 18, both of Gudun Hausawa.
KIDNAPPED PRIEST IN KADUNA, NIGERIA KILLED BY CAPTORS
Religion Today Blog
Morning Star News Nigeria Correspondent, Crosswalk.com
ABUJA, Nigeria, May 12, 2022 (Morning Star News) – A Roman Catholic priest kidnapped in early March in the city of Kaduna, in northern Nigeria, was killed around April 18-20, according to church officials. The Rev. Joseph Aketeh Bako, parish priest of St. John’s Catholic Church, was kidnapped at about 1 a.m. on March 8 from his home at the church premises in the Kudenda area of Kaduna city, Kaduna state, in a raid that killed a security guard. The Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kaduna, Christian Okewu Emmanuel, released a statement on Wednesday (May 11) stating that the captors killed Bako, and that information about his death was withheld until investigations could verify it. Bako was 48. “It is with a heavy heart, but with total submission to the will of God that we announce the death of Rev. Fr. Joseph Aketeh Bako, which sad event took place in the hands of his abductors between 18-20 April 2022,” Emmanuel said. The statement did not mention the identity of the captors, but Fulani herdsmen working along other Muslim terrorists were suspected. The security guard killed in the kidnapping was identified only as Luka, and the assailants killed another man in the predominantly Christian area as they shot sporadically while fleeing, area residents said. A woman and two children were also killed.
Insecurity: Gunmen Abduct Catholic Priest In Kogi (Channels TV, June 6, 2022)
A Catholic Priest, Reverend Father Christopher Onotu has been kidnapped by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in Kogi State. The abduction took place on Saturday night at Onotu’s church in Obangede, Okehi Local Government Area.The abductors reportedly made their way into the Church’s vicarage at about 9pm on Saturday evening and burgled the window through which they entered the priest’s room and whisked him away. Onotu’s absence was not sensed till the following day when parishioners came to the church for the first morning mass were reportedly abducted along with Bako in the attack in Kaduna state’s South County.
‘148 communities attacked in 6 yrs, 200,000 persons displaced in Southern Kaduna’
News Band, June 22, 2022 (culled from Vanguard Newspaper)
The Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) has alleged that within 6 years,148 communities were attacked in Southern Kaduna while 200,000 natives were displaced. SOKAPU, at a press conference said killings by terrorists in the region was outright ethnic cleansing of the people resident in the area. According to him, “we are calling on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Foreign Missions, European Union, United Nations, among others, to beam their searchlight on the atrocities, crimes against humanities, ethnic cleansing being perpetrated against the people of Southern Kaduna.” “These horrendous attacks on Kaduna State, especially the southern flank, have become glaring, with both government and security agencies seeming incapable of reining in the activities of these vicious bandits.’ “From the ongoing, it is clear that the bandits/terrorists have taken over many villages and town and are closing in on the Kaduna city centre.” “SOKAPU believes that these bandits may soon take over the Kaduna metropolis, including the Kaduna State Government House if the government continues to show a lack of capacity or willingness to stop them.” “Mineral deposits and green areas for cattle rearing in the entire Middle Belt are responsible for killing in Southern Kaduna. We have concluded plans to take over our ancestral land because what is going on is ethnic cleansing in Southern Kaduna and the entire Middle Belt. Several communities have been attacked in Southern Kaduna at genocidal proportion “
“It is very clear that Kaduna State is under siege by a combination of killer Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups who have continued to terrorize peaceful, vulnerable and defenseless Nigerians resident in the state.” “There is no single day that passes without an ugly incident of attacks and massacre in rural communities or mass abductions of people in both rural communities and suburbs of urban areas. These ceaseless attacks have continued to leave in their trail tales massacre, maiming, destruction of property and crops, raping of women and mass displacement of persons from their homelands.” “The spates of insecurity shredding Kaduna State recently hit the peak when on March 28, 2022, an Abuja-Kaduna bound train was bombed, less than 48 hours after the Kaduna Airport was attacked and an official of the airport killed.”
“During the attack on the train, no less than eight passengers were murdered. The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is yet to account for the whereabouts of 165 passengers that were on the ill-fated trip. While mourning the attacks on the train and the airport, another group of bandits launched yet another deadly assault on a military base located in Pole Wire Village in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna State, killing 12 soldiers and injuring 19 military personnel.”. “Just this week on Monday, April 25, 2022, heavily armed killer Fulani herdsmen in their large numbers riding on motorbikes invaded some communities in Kamaru ward, Chawai Chiefdom of Kauru Local Government Area where no fewer than 25 persons were murdered in cold blood.” “By 4:30 pm of that fateful Monday, the attackers commenced their assault on Ungwar Rimi community and continued to kill, maim and destroy the property of the community without help from the security forces. The attack on Ungwar Rimi lasted for over three hours.” “By the time the attack was over, 12 persons were murdered, and no fewer than 52 houses were burnt after the village was looted of foodstuffs and animals, among others.” “After three hours of the attack on Ungwar Rimi, the invaders proceeded to Ungwar Magaji; a community that has been attacked at least four times since 2014, where the rampaging herdsmen commenced yet another round of violence.” “When the killer herdsmen attacked Ungwan Makera, one Audu Tulu, a resident of the village was severely injured, while no fewer than eight houses were burnt, foodstuffs and valuables were looted by the attackers. Most pathetic is the killing of a 102-year old man, Pa Garba Akur, in Kitakum. He was shot as he tried to run, the heartless herdsmen hacked him down with their machetes and left his mutilated body in the pool of his blood.” “Also, 32 houses were reduced to rubbles and many displaced. These recent attacks in Kauru LGA is just one of the series of attacks that have been waged against Southern Kaduna communities since January this year.”
“In January 2022, Kurmin Masara and surrounding communities were attacked where no less than 16 people were murdered and 38 houses razed down by these killer Fulani herdsmen. On February 2, 2022, Zamandabo was attacked, resulting in the death of one person and 15 houses destroyed.” “In Kajuru LGA communities, between January 4, 2022, and April 12, 2022; no less than 38 persons were killed across 40 communities, and about 200 abducted for ransom.” “Most of these communities are forced to cough out millions of naira without any intervention from the government.” “Worthy of note is the unacceptable kidnap incident of 22nd February 2022 when these armed bandits invaded Idon Hanya market in the heat of business and took away at gunpoint 22 persons, mostly women into the bush, like a herd of sheep. To date, no one has said anything about their fate.” “On March 16, 2022, in Agunu Dutse community, Kachia LGA, armed Fulani militia stormed the village around 12:30 am and kidnapped 46 people, mostly women and children. To date, their whereabouts are still unknown.” “On April 6, 2022, in Akilbu village of the same local government, another terror gang left eight persons, mostly women and children, dead, and abducted 28 persons. There were several other unreported murders and kidnappings across Kachia communities.”
“On February 5, 2022, an attack was carried out against Maraban Kagoro-Gidan Waya Road where 11 people were killed and many homes destroyed. There was another attack on March 22, 2022, on four communities of Tsonje, Agban, Katanga and Kadarko, all within Kagoro Chiefdom in Kaura Local Government Area. No fewer than 34 were murdered and 35 homes razed down.” “Most of the villages in Chikun LGA have been sacked, with scores killed and hundreds kidnapped, while the villages destroyed. Thousands of these displaced people are living under dehumanising conditions in various IDP camps.
The invaders have become so daring that they now invade Kaduna suburbs, a few kilometres to the Kaduna Government House.” “In Mararaban Rido, Chikun LGA, and a suburb of Kaduna city, no less than 12 kidnapping incidences have been reported between January and April 2022, with scores abducted whose whereabouts are still unknown. No fewer than seven lives have been snuffed out by these deadly bandits.” “In Ungwan Bulus and Ungwan Gimbiya, all in Chikun LGA, no fewer than 50 people were kidnapped and eight killed from January 2022 to April 27, 2022, by armed bandits. More troubling than ever, the Kaduna- Kachia route has become dangerous for motorists and travellers who are constantly being kidnapped for ransom,” he said.
Owo Attack: US Institute Accuses FG Of Shielding Herdsmen And Blaming ISWAP
Reuben-Abati, July 1, 2022
Nigerian officials blamed the terror attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, on the Islamic State West Africa Province while avoiding references to networks of politically powerful herdsmen, Knoxville News Sentinel reports. According to a senior fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington DC, Stephen Rasche, Nigerian Christians no longer trust their own government or the leaders of the United States and the European Union. On the Owo massacre, Rasche said, “These types of murders are taking place weekly, almost daily, in Nigeria — murders of innocent Christians, being gunned down, slaughtered indiscriminately, throughout the north and, increasingly, into the central part of Nigeria and into the south.” On how the Nigerian Christians are reacting, he said many of them simply “throw up their hands,” because they no longer trust their own government or the leaders of the United States and the European Union. “They don’t look at us as being serious about any of these things,” he said. “They are completely disillusioned that the US government is going to have any kind of effective role to play. They’ve just given up that anybody in the West is going to come to their aid,” he added. [PUNCH]
Nigeria Crisis Congressional Press Conference — Advocates demand international investigation into Helicopter attack on Southern Kaduna Christians, protest Benue and Ondo massacres at US Capitol
News Express, 27th June 2022
On Thursday, June 24, 2022, Nigerian Americans in Washington, DC, joined the co-chairs of the US Congress Nigeria Caucus in a press conference calling attention to ongoing atrocities in Nigeria. On Thursday, June 24, 2022, Nigerian Americans in Washington, DC, joined the co-chairs of the US Congress Nigeria Caucus in a press conference calling attention to ongoing atrocities in Nigeria. Just like the epic failure of the procured 20 American academics who wrote to urge the US not to designate Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization for spurious and specious reasons, then and now all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t possibly put the glaring truth in denial again. Incidentally not a single Nigerian American was included amongst the 20 American anti-FTO academics who took the wrong side of history and terror, despite the significant number of Nigerian Americans in academia.
CONTINUING CLERGY ABDUCTIONS
Current facts also speak for themselves in contradiction of the DOS report. It is disheartening that, while we’re glad that two of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls have been found eight years after, fresh abductions are still occurring. Last week alone, an Anglican Bishop was abducted in Kwara state, a catholic priest in Plateau state, an ECWA pastor in Kaduna state and members of the Celestial church in central and southern Nigeria were abducted in the latest iteration of a month-long spree of weekly clergy abductions. That same week, a missionary pastor Ibrahim Tanda with Go international was murdered in Kebbi state. The combined effect of Boko Haram’s and the Fulani militia terrorism has maintained Nigeria as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world.
BLOODY CHURCH MASSACRES
On the same Pentecost day June 5th that over 40 (as much as 82) worshippers in St Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state were massacred, Fulani bandits aided by a Nigerian Airforce helicopter killed 32 and destroyed an ECWA church in Kajuru, Kaduna state, victims report. The following Sunday June 12, they also killed scores just before morning mass in Edumoga in Benue State, north central Nigeria – a different conflict theater from the terror-plagued northeast. In one week alone, over 120 (160) innocent civilian Christians were slaughtered in North-West, North-Central and North-East Nigeria. This is genocide! Incidentally these atrocities occurred while the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom was visiting Nigeria but yet the US State Dept won’t listen to a U.S. government agency much less the blood of the martyrs.
GOVERNMENT PERSECUTION
Not to be outdone, the very day after churches were attacked by Fulani militia in Kaduna and Ondo, the government of Kaduna state also demolished a chapel construction site on the campus of Kaduna State University – the government again perpetrating similar terroristic acts on a place of worship.Sadly in the same pattern of impunity, witnesses say their phones were confiscated by the government so they couldn’t record the church site destruction by the state government, just as occurred when Borno state demolished a church and killed a pastor’s son last year. The Kaduna State government must be urged to promptly address this atrocity and the refusal to allow the rebuilding of Catholic and Protestant chapels at the ABU federal university destroyed 11 years ago by Muslim rioters in pro-Buhari post-election violence.
AMERICAN AND WESTERN VICTIMS OF FULANI MILITIA
Besides the overwhelming facts of anti-Christian animus both by state and non-state actors at all all levels, the state department’s sources come with baggage of their own. Mercy Corp itself lost one of its staff in Nigeria, British national Faye Mooney, to the Islamist Fulani kidnappers in an Easter attack in 2020 – the self-same ethno–religious syndicate that abducted Canadian and American businessmen in Kaduna before. Their international affiliates similarly abducted American missionary Walton from the country of Niger and hid him in Nigeria despite closed borders until his rescue by U.S. Seals in 2020.
What did these British and American Christian aid workers have to do with farmer and herder conflict or global warming? It is hard to argue lack of religious animus when the Fulani militia attack, slash and burn villages in the midnight massacres chanting Allahu Akbar (God is great) in Arabic. It is unclear if the organizations mean that they asked the killers if they had religious motives and they said “no” or if they asked the dead victims if their murders were religiously motivated and they posthumously replied in the negative.
Other Sources:
Terrorists demand N100m ransom for abducted Kaduna worshippers