Nigeria Government Continues to Tolerate Extreme Human Rights Abuses by Islamic Militants, USCIRF Report

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) states in its 2024 Annual Report that the government of Nigeria continues to tolerate terror attacks by nonstate Islamic extremists who want to impose their form of Sharia law upon Nigerians, especially Christians, Morning Star News reports.

More Christians are murdered on account of their faith in Nigeria than in all other countries combined. Nigeria ranks 6 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

In its report published on August 9, the USCIF states: “Islamist and some Fulani militant groups have expressed a goal of overthrowing secular governance with the intention of enforcing a singular interpretation of Islam. The specific perpetrators of and motivation behind individual attacks can be difficult to verify.”

“Regardless of motivation, however, attacks in the northwest, northeast and central regions of Nigeria significantly restrict freedom of religion or belief, particularly for the predominantly Christian communities that live there,” the USCIRF report says.

The USCIRF goes on to restate its long-held criticism that the Nigerian government “continues to tolerate egregious violence by nonstate actors, including JAS/Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and other extremist groups.”

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF again recommends that the U.S. Department of State designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to the Nigerian government’s ongoing tolerance of extremely violent religious and human rights abuses.

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