Christian Solidarity International’s warning to President Biden about Christian persecution in Nigeria is now coming to fruition
For Immediate Release (Westlake Village, CA) —When the U.S. government decided to remove Nigeria from its list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” Christian Solidarity International (CSI) president John Eibner warned President Joe Biden in an open letter that these decisions would “give the Nigerian authorities further encouragement to persecute non-violent political dissidents” and “embolden the perpetrators of atrocity crimes against Christians and other non-Muslims.” In less than three months, Eibner’s prediction is now becoming a reality. According to research by CSI, during the first three weeks of January 2022, at least 615 people have been reported murdered by Muslim Fulani militants, and at least 231 known persons were abducted in Nigeria. Approximately 13,050 Nigerian people were displaced from their homes due to the violence, and many Christians have been specifically targeted.
These statistics have been aggregated from reports in both the international and local Nigerian press. They almost certainly represent an undercount, as many killings go unreported.
The first day of 2022 was marked with violence and death for Christians in Nigeria. Fulani militants attacked worshippers returning home after attending an annual New Year’s prayer meeting in the Irigwe chiefdom in Plateau State. The following three weeks brought more attacks on Christians. A chieftain with the All-Progressives Congress party was shot dead in Ikot Udoma after attending church; four seminarists were abducted; and a Christian man was murdered and his pregnant wife abducted near Kaduna city. Raids on predominantly Christian villages by militant Fulani herdsmen have continued. In one incident in Tyaana, Plateau State, three young men were killed with guns and machetes.
On average, it appears that at least 29 people were killed daily in Nigeria within the first three weeks of 2022. Plateau State has the highest number of killings, abductions and/or displacements, followed by Kaduna. Muslim-majority Zamfara State has had the highest number of killings, estimated at 272 people, with 200 of them killed in one single attack. Some 10,000 people were subsequently displaced.
These statistics have been aggregated from reports in both the international and local Nigerian press. They almost certainly represent an undercount, as many killings go unreported.
The first day of 2022 was marked with violence and death for Christians in Nigeria. Fulani militants attacked worshippers returning home after attending an annual New Year’s prayer meeting in the Irigwe chiefdom in Plateau State. The following three weeks brought more attacks on Christians. A chieftain with the All-Progressives Congress party was shot dead in Ikot Udoma after attending church; four seminarists were abducted; and a Christian man was murdered and his pregnant wife abducted near Kaduna city. Raids on predominantly Christian villages by militant Fulani herdsmen have continued. In one incident in Tyaana, Plateau State, three young men were killed with guns and machetes.
On average, it appears that at least 29 people were killed daily in Nigeria within the first three weeks of 2022. Plateau State has the highest number of killings, abductions and/or displacements, followed by Kaduna. Muslim-majority Zamfara State has had the highest number of killings, estimated at 272 people, with 200 of them killed in one single attack. Some 10,000 people were subsequently displaced.
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About Christian Solidarity International:
Founded over 40 years ago, CSI is an international Christian human rights organization, campaigning for religious liberty and human dignity, and assisting victims of religious persecution, victimized children and victims of catastrophe. CSI delivers emergency food assistance, medical treatment, and other lifesaving aid to victims of religious persecution and natural disasters in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Nigeria, South Sudan, Pakistan, and other hotspots around the globe. CSI is currently the only organization working to liberate Christians and other South Sudanese forced into slavery by government-backed forces during the Sudanese civil war. For more information visit https://csi-usa.org. |