In Nigeria, Christians face substantial persecution. In central Nigeria, known as “the killing fields”, Christians face daily harassment, persecution and attack from Islamists. This has resulted in tens of thousands being murdered, hundreds of thousands being displaced and countless others traumatized.

By Clodagh Gallagher

The mass slaughter of Nigerian Christians has intensified rapidly in 2020. A Nigerian civil society group estimates that 1,202 Christians were martyred for their faith in the first six months of this year, by Islamist terror groups such as Boko Haram and radicalised Fulani herdsmen. An estimated 70,000 Nigerian Christians have been being hacked, burned and stabbed to death in the past decade. Thousands of Christian homes and hundreds of Christian churches and learning centres have been burnt down, forcing approximately 300,000 Nigerians to flee for their lives.

Nigeria’s 206 million population is evenly divided between Christians and Muslims. Northern Nigeria is mostly Muslim and populated by the Fulani tribe. Southern Nigeria is mostly Christian and populated by the Ebo tribe. In addition to religious division, economic tensions exist between the Fulani herdsmen and the Ebo farmers, as the Ebo farmers are sustained by comparatively fertile land. Where these two very different parts of Nigeria meet is where most of the bloodshed takes place; known as “the killing fields”. In this region, tens of thousands of Christian farmers and their families have been displaced from what is the most fertile land in the country. When the farmers are pushed off of their lands, they are forced to live in refugee camps. Without access to their land, they can no longer provide for their families or for the larger Nigerian community. This is creating food shortages throughout northern Nigeria.

Due to this religious division, Nigeria has become a killing field of defenceless Christians by armed Islamists. Last June, 11 women and a newborn were locked inside a church building and burned alive. Joined by numerous humanitarian organisation (including Aid to the Church in Need) the Nigerian Bishops Conference has decried this genocide of their people. They have called out the (majority-Muslim) Nigerian government for continuing to aid and abet this bloodshed, and have asked them to stop this violence and protect Nigerian Christians from being massacred for their faith. Their pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears. The violence towards Christian leaders is severe and increasing, with priests and bishops regularly hunted down and brutally murdered by Islamists. Father Joseph Gor and Father Felix Tyolaha were celebrating early morning Mass at St Ignatius parish, Makurdi diocese, when the extremists struck and started firing at the parishioners indiscriminately. Both priests were killed, along with 17 of the faithful.

Despite facing systemic, planned and calculated genocide, the Nigerian faithful remain steadfast in their faith. At Aid to the Church in Need, we work closely with Nigerian priests and bishops to raise awareness of the genocide of Christians in Nigeria. We have a strong and active relationship with many Nigerian dioceses, and your generous donations help fund many projects there as we work to rebuild homes, churches and ensure that our brothers and sisters are clothed, fed and spiritually nourished by their Catholic priests.

Last September, ACN priest Father Sam Ebute of Kangoro, said that Nigerian Christians are constantly worried about when they will be attached next. He said: "For the past seven weeks, we have been burying our parishioners with no end in sight. These last attacks have left us all in fear and especially the fear of the unknown because we do not know when the next round of attacks will happen and what will trigger it. We cannot worship in peace. We have no confidence in the safety of our homes. Our movements are limited, our faithful cannot freely go about their activities. It is farming season now, but they dare not go to their farms for fear of being attacked there. They have left their crops to perish. It is like we have been left to perish because of our faith."

This is why we are spotlighting the suffering of Nigerian Christians for our Week of Witness this year, from 25th November to 1st December. You can learn more about the Week of Witness by clicking on the link below. With your support, we can raise hearts, raise awareness and raise funds for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Nigeria.