Nigeria Christian Persecution Crisis: Almost 1500 Christians slaughtered, 2200 abducted, by Islamic Jihadists in first third of 2021
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The large-scale, years-long onslaught of killing and kidnapping of Christians in Nigeria by Muslim extremists continues unabated and under-reported: a further 1470 Christians were murdered, and 2200 abducted, by Islamic Jihadists in the first four months of 2021 alone, the Intersociety for Civil Liberty and Rule of Law has attested in a new report. This time last year, the Nigerian Voice reported that Islamic militants had butchered 32,000 Christians since 2009; that number is now much higher.
Most of the attacks against Christians have taken place in Kaduna state, Benue state, and Plateau state, Christian Today reports. More than half of the murders are understood to have been committed by radicalized Fulani Muslim herdsmen. The Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa terror groups have also done their part.
Laying blame for the onslaught firmly at the feet of government, the Intersociety for Civil Liberty and Rule of Law report refutes that fighting over land resources is behind the killings. “[The Nigerian and state governments] have made several deliberate attempts to cover the egregious and grisly massacre of Christians in Nigeria by falsely labeling them as ‘herders-farmers clashes,’ or attacks by ‘bandits,’ or ‘killings that cut across Muslims and Christians,” the report says.
Most of the reported abductions occurred in Kaduna state, but the Open Doors persecution watchdog group said Christians ‘across Nigeria’ live in fear of murder and Christian Today reports. Those kidnapped include farmers, travelers, and residents of rural communities. “It is feared that at least 220 of the abducted Christians have died or been killed by their captors,” Christian Today said in its report.
While no international action appears to have taken hold, the US Commission on International and Religious Freedom has warned that Nigeria is heading “relentlessly toward a Christian genocide,” Christian Today noted.
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