The Founder President of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas, has warned that Nigerian Christians are “under increasing siege” thanks to the inability or unwillingness of the government to tackle a plethora of armed and often Islamic militant groups.
His comments came following a rare piece of good news from Nigeria, when 38 members of the Christ Apostolic Church kidnapped by Fulani militia were released.
More Christians are killed or kidnapped every year in Nigeria than in any other country on earth. While those who are kidnapped are sometimes released or are able to escape, many remain in captivity for years.
Of the 276 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, 139 were able to escape while 103 were eventually released via negotiation. Some 91 girls remain unaccounted for but have most likely been forced into “marriages”, slavery or, tragically, have died since then.
Attacks in Nigeria are becoming increasingly common. Last week there were three separate incidents in three days as well as the mass kidnapping of over 300 students and staff from the Catholic St Mary High School, in Papiri district in Niger state. While 50 children later managed to escape, at least 265 students and teachers remain in captivity.
Church leaders have raised concerns that militant activity intensifies during Christian festivals.
Earlier this year Catholic bishop Wilfred Anagbe said that massacres during Christian festivals were becoming “customary” in parts of the country, while another bishop John Bakeni, last month warned that in some parts of the country the violence had “assumed genocidal character”.
The situation has not gone unnoticed abroad, with US President Donald Trump redesignating Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).
Mr Thomas said, “Nigerian civilians are under increasing siege by multiple armed non-state actors. This unprecedented rise in insecurity … is emblematic of continuing religious discrimination in Shari’a states, highlight why the United States was right to designate Nigeria a CPC, and the urgent need for the government of Nigeria to respond decisively to both terrorist violence and systematic repression.
“We call on Nigeria to continue engaging positively with the CPC process, securing all necessary assistance to address religion-related crises and hold sponsors and perpetrators accountable.
"We also call on international media in particular to take great care to report on the situation in Nigeria in a manner that neither minimises nor sensationalises the religious element of the violence, but reflects the realities on the ground.”
