CHRISTIAN POST
The vibrant Nigerian nation enjoys not only the largest African population, but also the most powerful economy on the entire continent. Nigeria’s oil sector is responsible for much of the country’s success, making it wealthier than all other West African nations and thus holding considerable power. Even Nigeria’s historic art culture is acclaimed by some European experts, while its music scene is also applauded by many. That’s the good news.
Unfortunately, however prominent its art and wealth may be, Nigeria is also responsible for the most violent persecution of Christians in all of Africa. And, tragically, the brutal violence against those endangered believers continues to escalate. Ferocious attacks by radical Islamists continues to rip apart the nation’s vulnerable Christian population.
The United States sees itself as a reputable watchdog, calling out religious freedom violators when it is so inclined. But, as Alliance Defending Freedom recently reported, “when the U.S. State Department released its annual religious freedom watchlist earlier this year, it did not mention Nigeria’s horrific record of Christian killings.”
n fact, the U.S. government has totally ignored the bloodshed of both Catholic and Protestant believers in Nigeria for at least three consecutive years.
At the same time, according to a February report published in the Catholic Herald, “The combined forces of the government-protected Islamic Jihadists, and the country’s Security Forces are directly and vicariously accountable for hacking to death in 2023 of no fewer than 8,222 defenseless Christians — covering a period of thirteen months [from] Jan (2023) — Jan (2024).”
Kidnappings, murders, and forced disappearances, largely affecting Christian victims, continue to take place in several Nigerian regions. Crux Now reported in February 2024 that the carnage of Christians has been carried out by a broad range of actors, including Fulani jihadist herdsmen, who are said to have been responsible for at least 5,100 Christian deaths. Boko Haram and their allies killed some 500 believers and Fulani bandits 1,600. Meanwhile, “Islamist inspired” security forces robbed some other 1,000 Christians of their lives.
The attacks from January 2023 into 2024 against Nigerian Christians were reportedly the “deadliest in recent years.” Sadly, the country’s security forces failed to defend its vulnerable Christian population from violent deaths. In fact, some Nigerians have expressed concerns that some of the government’s “protectors of the people” may at times have been complicit in the anti-Christian attacks.
The watchdog organization Genocide Watch has reported “Since 2000, 62,000 Christians in Nigeria have been murdered in genocide perpetrated by Islamist jihadist groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militias. The International Committee for Nigeria refers to this genocide as the ‘Silent Slaughter.’” Although 2023 saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu replace his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, there has been no observable change in the plight of Christians. Neither president has expressed concern or provided even minimal protection that could have saved Christian lives.
For those of us who have an interest in international religious freedom, there was enthusiastic applause when, for the first time in December 2020, the U.S. Department of State — under the leadership of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo…