Abuja: In the first three months of 2022, 896 Nigerian civilians were killed in attacks by extremist religious militants nurturing Anti-Christian sentiments. The figure reflects the escalating violence against Christian communities worldwide.
In 2021, 5,898 Christians paid the ultimate cost for following Jesus, almost 80% of whom come from the African continent, mostly from Nigeria, according to statistics from World Watch list.
The figures are an increase of almost 25% from the previous year. Put differently, on average, that’s 16 Christians killed every day for simply pursuing their faith. Since many incidents go unreported, the true figure is likely to be higher.
Though not all massacres were religiously motivated in Nigeria, a significant number of the men, women and children lost their lives for simply choosing to live a Christian life.
"Nigeria is currently one of the scariest places to be a Christian," says Illia Djadi, an Open Doors analyst for sub-Saharan Africa. "The country has witnessed an explosion of violence in recent months. Attacks are happening almost on a daily basis. And what is happening in Nigeria is a sad illustration of what is happening across West Africa – the agenda, and the process and model of persecution, are being implemented elsewhere with impunity."
The heightened violence against Christians largely comes from four groups: Boko Haram, Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP), Fulani militants and armed 'bandits'. The attacks are mostly concentrated in the northern areas were majority of the people are not Christians. However, the attacks are rapidly spilling over into the predominantly Christian south.
Massacre of Christian men is a key strategy of all three groups, taking the male member will destroy livelihood and escalate depopulation of Christian communities.
Nigeria is ranked seventh among countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution; Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia being in the first, second and third places. In 2021, 4,650 Christians and in 2022, 900 have been killed so far in attacks by three terrorist organizations in Nigeria.
In April 2021, a group of bandits abducted 22 students and a member of staff from Greenfields University, a predominantly Christian private school in Kaduna state. Within a week, five of the kidnapped students were killed.
On June 5, Pentecost Sunday, gunmen believed to be associated with Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) entered St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, in southwestern Nigeria. They fired at the congregation, detonated explosives, and killed 40 as per the official figures.
The Pentecost Sunday massacre is the one of the worst atrocities against Christians in Nigeria. The incident was condemned by many world leaders.
Following the mass killings in Plateau State, Nigeria's Information Minister Lai Mohammed told reporters the attacks were a result of 'a kind of unholy handshake between bandits and Boko Haram insurgents'.
Meanwhile, the escalating violence has forced millions to flee their homes. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported that more than 8.4 million Nigerians in the north-eastern region alone are in need of humanitarian assistance, with half of them facing a food crisis.