Nigerian Christians Still Suffering from Violence by Islamic Extremists

The obviously jittery Nigerian government under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, has angrily reacted to a list by the United States which places Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” with severe religious violations.

Undisputedly, Christians in the North and in the Middle Belt are suffering from violence perpetrated by Islamic extremist groups such as militant Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram. Such violence often results in loss of life, physical injury, as well as loss of property.

As a result of the violence, Christians are also being dispossessed of their land and means of livelihood—and Christians with a Muslim background also face rejection from their own families.

Yet, Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, in a statement titled ‘Nigeria Denies Religious Freedom Violation Allegation’ says Nigeria jealously protects religious freedom as enshrined in the
country’s constitution and takes seriously any infringements in this regard.

He describes the US inclusion of Nigeria on the list as a case of “honest disagreement between the two nations on the causes of violence in Nigeria.”

”Nigeria does not engage in religious freedom violation, neither does it have a policy of religious persecution. Victims of insecurity and terrorism in the country are adherents of Christianity, Islam and other religions”, the minister said.

Washington on Monday for the first time added Nigeria to a blacklist on religious freedom, paving the way for potential sanctions if it does not improve its record.

Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom, alongside nations that include China, Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

Nigeria’s over 200 million people are almost evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. Islam is the dominant faith in the North, and Christianity in the South – but most of the killings take place in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where the halves of the country meet.

Attacks by Fulani herders have had a devastating effect on Christian farmers -thousands have fled, leaving behind fertile farmlands.

The three biggest terrorist organisations in the world today are ISIS, Boko Haram, and al-Shabaab. Boko Haram has been operating in Nigeria since 2009. In 2015, the year President Muhammadu Buhari came into power, ISIS started a splinter group in the country called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Al-Shabaab operates out of Somalia and mainly in East Africa.

Persecution has several different drivers, based on groups and location. For Boko Haram, they are dedicated to ridding Nigeria of all Western influence, of which they think Christianity is a part. They also seek to create an Islamic caliphate in the northeastern part of the country. ISWAP is very similar to Boko Haram in ideals, but they have further reasons as well.

They often attack Christians to avenge the deaths and attacks on ISIS and other Muslims around the world. One instance of this was the execution of 11 Christians on video last Christmas Eve, December 24, 2019. In the video, the group said that these killings were in retaliation for the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS.

As for the Fulani militants, this is a very complex issue with socio-economic, ethnic, and religious drivers. For the socio-economic driver, the Fulani are mainly migrant herders who need access to land. The Christian farming communities of the Middle Belt also need access to this same land. This creates tensions when cattle graze on farms, or farms grow crops in cattle lands.

For the ethnic driver, there is a belief that the Fulani historically owned much of northern Nigeria in what was known as the Sokoto Caliphate. Due to this, some think that the Fulani are trying to regain control of what they see as their land.

This leads them to then attack and take land from those who are not Fulani. This is mostly believed by groups such as the Tiv of Benue State, the Berom of Plateau State, and the Bachama of Admawa State, amongst others.

The religious driver is the fact that the Fulani are a primarily Muslim population. When they attack these farming villages, they often burn down churches, kill pastors, and destroy Christians’ homes and shops. I have never heard of a mosque being destroyed or imam being killed during these attacks, so there is a clear sign that they at least hate Christianity, if they are not blatantly targeting Christians.

It is common knowledge that tens of thousands of Christian farmers and their families have been displaced from what is called the breadbasket of Nigeria. This is the most fertile and healthy land in the country and has the potential to grow immense amounts of food.

When the farmers are pushed off of their lands, they are forced to live with relatives, friends, or in IDP camps. Without the access to their land, they no longer have the ability to grow food to sustain themselves and their families. It is also hurting the larger community as a whole as there are known food shortages throughout northern Nigeria.

There is also another lesser known group which we at ICC term “Fulani militants.” This is a hostile group of individuals who attack Christian farming communities throughout the Middle Belt of Nigeria. We do use the term militants because there are many Fulani who are peaceful, but there are also violent groups amongst their population who use it as a disguise. Between these three groups, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2010