A new report has stated that over 1,400 Christians have been killed in Nigeria by Islamic militants since the start of 2021. A shocking statistic that shows just how far the country has descended into sectarian strife.
The report by the Intersociety for Civil Liberty and Rule of Law, said that over 2,200 Christians were also abducted during the same time period.
The report states that the majority of the killings took place in Kaduna state and that over half the killings were carried out by radicalised Fulani herdsmen. Over 800 abductions took place in Kaduna state and the victims included other farmers, travellers and locals living in isolated communities.
In many cases, the abducted are underage girls who are forced to marry Muslim men and convert to Islam.
The report states:
"The Nigerian state has made several deliberate attempts to cover the egregious and grisly massacre of Christians in Nigeria by falsely labelling them as 'herder-farmer clashes', or attacks by 'bandits', or killings that cut across Muslims and Christians'".
It adds:
"Nigeria has devastatingly remained the 'most Christian killed country' and 'most dangerous place to be a Christian' as well as Africa's hotbed of Islamic jihad and religious intolerance."
Illia Djadi, an analyst, said of the situation:
"People are no longer safe in Nigeria. If you travel you are risking your life. People all over Nigeria travel fearing they will be kidnapped or attacked. They go to bed fearing they will be kidnapped or attacked. They go to church fearing they will be kidnapped or attacked."
Extremism in Nigeria has never been far from the headlines. Most of the Islamic insurgency is the work of extremist group Boko Haram, which translates as 'female education, or Western education, is prohibited'.
They have attacked multiple schools in Nigeria and the Nigerian security forces. They became widely known after they kidnapped hundreds of school girls and took them into slavery. A tactic they have used multiple times.
[h/t: Christian Today]
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