Source: www.worthynews.com
Date: September 3, 2024
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ABUJA (Worthy News) – Over 16,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in the last four years, more than any other religious group, according to new data obtained by Worthy News.
The Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) said it had documented atrocities against Christians and other groups in a report covering the period from October 1, 2019, to September 30, last year.
It said it was crucial to counter “the myth of religious indifference” as its report showed that Christians were often singled out for attacks by Muslim “terror” groups.
“Amongst the 30,880 civilians killed in the 4-year reporting period, the number of Christians killed was 16,769, while the number of Muslims killed was 6,235,” the ORFA said in the report seen by Worthy News.
“Among the 21,532 civilians abducted, the number of Christians abducted was 11,185, while the number of Muslims abducted was 7,899,” the monitoring group added.
“Misleading euphemisms, such as ‘armed herdsmen’ and ‘cattle grazers,’ are used to describe continual waves of invasion, torture, and killing in rural communities. Descriptions of attacks as ‘ethnic clashes,’ ‘farmers-herders clashes,’ or retaliatory attacks are seriously misleading.”
CONCEALING RELIGIOUS IDENTITY
Another frequent term used to describe militias that carry out mass kidnappings and enforce “serfdom” on communities is “bandits,” the report warned, adding that “a policy of concealing the religious identity of victims” is distorting the reality of the situation.
“Fulani Ethnic Militia are targeting Christian populations, while Muslims also suffer severely at their hands,” stressed Reverend Gideon Para-Mallam, an observatory partner and analyst.
“Millions of people are left undefended,” Frans Vierhout, a senior ORFA analyst, added in published remarks. “For years, we’ve heard of calls for help being ignored as terrorists attack vulnerable communities. Now the data tells its own story.”
The ORFA also suggested that the government and its security forces don’t do enough to protect Christians and other vulnerable groups.
“The most striking point is that the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) are killing Nigerian civilians unopposed. Mass killings, abductions, and the torture of whole families go largely unchallenged as government forces pursue targets hundreds of miles away, according to the research findings.”
With violence escalating in several parts of Nigeria, “Many civilians lived in high levels of insecurity and fear of the unexpected. For instance, eyewitnesses talked about children sleeping in trees at night,” according to ORFA researchers.
MANY CIVILIANS KILLED
“In total, 30,880 civilians were killed in 6,942 attacks. The remaining 25,030 people killed were members of the Security Forces or Terror Groups.”
Advocacy group Open Doors ranked Nigeria 6th on its annual World Watch List of 50 nations, where it says Christians suffer most for their faith in Christ.
“Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Muslim-majority north, continue to live under immense pressure and to be terrorized with devastating impunity by Islamic militants and armed [so-called] ‘bandits,’ “ the group said.
It also echoed ORFA’s concerns about Africa’s most populous nation. “More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year than everywhere else in the world combined,” Open Doors stressed.
“The attacks are often brutal in nature and can involve destruction of properties, abductions for ransom, sexual violence, and death. Believers are stripped of their livelihoods and driven from their homes, leaving a trail of grief and trauma.”
Nigeria’s government has come under international pressure to improve the plight of Christians, but for now, thousands are uprooted by ongoing violence, according to investigators.