By Martin Cole And Ade Martins-
Terrorists in the form of Fulani herdsmen on Saturday killed at least seven Christians in Benue state, Nigeria, in the latest of brutal executions in the lawless part of West Africa’s most populated nation, The Eye Of Media has heard.
Conscienceless attackers killed a Christian during a hellish attack attack on a worship meeting Saturday night in Logo County, after slaughtering least six Christians in Apa County were killed earlier in the day.
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In Benue state’s Logo County on Saturday night, Fulani herdsmen invaded a church service at about 9 p.m., killed one Christian, wounded five others and kidnapped the pastor and four other congregation members, sources said.
Five other church members shot and wounded were receiving hospital treatment, Moses said. Community leader Zaki Tyokase Ingyutu was among Christians shot and injured during the attack, he said.
In June, 40 worshippers were killed in a church attack in Owo, Ondo state, south-west Nigeria.
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The attacks by herdsmen on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is believed to be motivated by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam in the region which they territorially believe to be theirs.
A section of fanatic Muslims in Nigeria are believed to have a strong agenda to forcefully obliterate Christians from their midst by going on spontaneous murderous rampages, bringing their own faith to disrepute without concern in the process.
Paul Hemba, the special adviser on security matters to the Benue state governor, confirmed the deadly attack by armed terrorists and herdsmen recently carried out massive attacks in the state.
“In the last few days we have been receiving reports of large influx of armed herdsmen into Apa, Agatu, Guma and Kwande Local Government Areas,” Hemba said. “These attacks on Christian communities by herdsmen have persisted ceaselessly. This has been happening for some time, but military and police personnel drafted to curtail these terrorist acts have not been able to achieve their objective. The armed herdsmen have been coming for attacks, and each time they are repelled and after some days they come back again.”
Catherine Anene, a spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, told Morning Star News, “It is true these herders have moved in large numbers into the affected communities, but efforts are being made by the police and other security agencies to stem these attacks.””
In Agatu and Otukpo counties, five Christians were killed in two herdsmen attacks on March 23 in Atakpa village, Agatu County and Iwili village, Otukpo County, said Joseph Ngbede, a council official of the Agatu LGA. He added that Guma County was also attacked.
On March 13, herdsmen also killed more 50 Christians in Kwande County, community leaders said in a statement.
“We write to report recent, sustained terror attacks on our communities over the past 10 days which have resulted in over 50 people dead, several injured, thousands displaced and loss of property and farmlands,” stated Festus Iorkyaa, Eric Tyohemba Udu and Solomon Terfa Jijah of the Turan Development Association (TUDA).
The killings and destruction of properties occur on a daily basis, they said.
“In some cases, the herdsmen have taken over the lands and settled on them,” they stated. “They come in good numbers with their cattle, destroying farm produce for their animals to graze, chase away the Christian inhabitants of such areas and pitch their tents there.”
Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists also killed 27 Christians in two attacks this month in Kaduna state, Nigeria, it has been reported.
Both attacks took place in Zangon Kataf County, where 10 Christians were killed on March 14 in Langson village and 17 slain in Ungwan Wakili village on March 10, residents said.
Residents of Langson said dozens more were wounded in the attack that began at 9 p.m.
Sam Achie, president of the area community said: “I urge the government to match words with action by arresting the perpetrators since the government knows them and where they are,” said Sam Achie, president of the area community development association. “I appeal to Nigeria government to as a matter of urgency deploy more security agents to Zangon Kataf Local Government Area in order to arrest the recurring attacks on innocent Christians whose lives and property are being destroyed for no justifiable reason.”
Worst Country For Killing Of Christians
Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith in 2022, with 5,014, according to Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List (WWL) report. It also led the world in Christians abducted (4,726), sexually assaulted or harassed, forcibly married or physically or mentally abused, and it had the most homes and businesses attacked for faith-based reasons. As in the previous year, Nigeria had the second most church attacks and internally displaced people.
In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year.
“Militants from the Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery,” the WWL report noted. “This year has also seen this violence spill over into the Christian-majority south of the nation… Nigeria’s government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians’ rights are carried out with impunity.”
Predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report.
“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.
The killing of Christians killed for their faith was highest in Nigeria compared to any other country in 2022, with 5,014, according to Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List (WWL) report.
It also led the world in Christians abducted (4,726), sexually assaulted or harassed, forcibly married or physically or mentally abused, and it had the most homes and businesses attacked for faith-based reasons. As in the previous year, Nigeria had the second most church attacks and internally displaced people.
In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year.
“Militants from the Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery,” the WWL report noted. “This year has also seen this violence spill over into the Christian-majority south of the nation… Nigeria’s government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians’ rights are carried out with impunity.”
Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) , stated in a recent report.
“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.
Complex History Of Religious Tension
The northern region of Nigeria has a majority Muslim population while Southern Nigeria has a majority Christian population.
The ongoing attack against Christianity in Northern Nigeria has a complex history. Christianity has long been viewed as being the vehicle for the establishment of western education in western Nigeria, a perception that has formed the basis for violent resistance by Islamic terorrists over the years.
A number of Muslim extremists in the North of Nigeria consider western culture as a threat to Islam, and vehemently seek to push back at it.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has been accused of showing favouritism to Muslims when it comes to political appointments at the expense of equally or more capable christians.
This is one of the reasons Nigeria is there is a political requirement for state governors and presidents to select a person of the opposite faith as their second in command(vie president/vice governor) to show that the allocation of resources and power will not be dominated by one religious group or the other.
The current president elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Muslim from the southwestern part of the country and the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, chose Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim from Borno State in the northeast, as his running mate in the 2023 election. This choice has furthered the view that he has an agenda to establish an Islamic Caliphate in the country. It led to a number of Nigerian politicians dumping his party and switching to other parties.
Although such transitions highlight the level of distaste towards the violation of the political norms in the country, the powerful elites are only concerned with their own agenda.
Tinubu’s victory has led to mass protests in Nigeria, where multiple members of the populace are insistent that the elections were rigged, following a massive bribery of an estimated $17m to INEC’s boss Yusuf Mahmood. There is currently no evidence to support the allegation.
Opposition parties have lodged a case in court to challenge the election results, but have the uphill struggle of making history since no Nigerian election has ever been overturned in the country.
The integrity of the judiciary has also been questioned in the face of the kind of life changing sums of money believed to be offered in bribery in cases like these.
Amid all the tension, there are many who say that Tinubu who left a strong legacy in Lagos during his time as governor of the state, legitimately won the elections and is best equipped to transform the troubled nation of Nigeria.
One major task he will have if as expected he is inaugurated next month, is to confront the spate of attacks by Muslims against Christians in the North and achieve some level of harmony where both religious group can co-exist without the kind of fatal attacks seen in recent months.
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