The Nigerian army has had some success subduing Islamist group Boko Haram, but Christians are still being killed in Nigeria. Many of the killings are carried out by nomadic Hausa-Fulani herdsmen, a largely Muslim ethnic group that frequently targets the more settled Christian farming communities of central Nigeria. Meanwhile, 12 of Nigeria’s northern states employ Sharia (Islamic law), and Christians in these states face discrimination and restrictions in accessing community resources, such as clean water, health clinics, and higher education.
Good Friday marks 3 years of agony for Chibok parents
For the families of the 195 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped from their dormitories three years ago tomorrow (14 April 2014), grief and despair have been compounded by fear, as the perpetrators of their agony continue to terrorise their town and carry out further abductions with impunity. Since Boko Haram jihadists abducted […]
22 girls and women kidnapped as Boko Haram strikes again in north-east Nigeria
Boko Haram has abducted 22 girls and women in two separate raids in north-east Nigeria, residents and vigilantes say. In the first attack on 30 March, the jihadists raided the village of Pulka near the border with Cameroon, where they kidnapped 18 girls. In the second incident, outside the village […]
At least 15 killed as Fulani herdsmen strike again in central Nigeria
A fresh attack carried out by Fulani herdsmen has left at least 15 dead in Nigeria’s central Benue State. Many are reported missing, while several houses, huts and farmland have also been razed, as assailants targeted the predominantly Christian and farming communities, in Kwande Local Government Area, on Sunday (April 2, 2017), in […]
Violence in Southern Kaduna fuelled by government support for Fulanis, says Bishop
The Bishop of Kafanchan, in Nigeria’s volatile region of Southern Kaduna, has denounced the violence of the Fulani as fuelled by government complicity. “The crisis here has persisted because of the way and manner the Federal and State governments, as well as the Security Agents are handling it”, said Mgr. […]
Northeast Nigeria ‘greatest crisis on the African continent’, says UN
The UN has described the unfolding disaster in north-eastern Nigeria as the “greatest crisis on the continent” – the full extent of which has only been revealed as extremist militant group Boko Haram is pushed back. The UN estimated in December that 75,000 children are at risk of dying of […]
Nigeria: Benue death toll 60 over past 10 days, admits police chief
”It all started on Friday when the herdsmen forcefully entered our village to graze on farmland, but were resisted by our youths. They left – only to mobilise and storm our village in their numbers, shooting sporadically and chasing everyone from their houses.” A survivor of a recent Fulani herdsmen’s […]
Chibok girl: ‘Don’t forget us’
A schoolgirl who escaped from Boko Haram militants in Nigeria has called on the international community not to forget those still in captivity. The abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria’s north-eastern town of Chibok in April 2014 by Islamist militants caused a global outcry – and prompted campaigns about girls’ […]
As Nigerian government resorts to curfew in S. Kaduna, locals blame ‘years of impunity’
In northern Nigeria, a 24-hour curfew has been reinstated in parts of southern Kaduna, following the deadly attacks a week ago, carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen. However, locals say security measures such as this have already proved ineffective, as recent attacks have happened despite them. The attacks on 19 […]
UPDATE: Kidnapped German archeologists freed; no ransom paid
In the village of Goska, houses were destroyed, churches burnt and shops vandalised in a December attack.World Watch Monitor UPDATE (27 Feb): Two German archaeologists kidnapped in Nigeria’s north-western state of Kaduna were freed on Saturday (25 Feb). Peter Breunig and Johannes Buringer were taken by gunmen on 22 […]
Polygamy creates terrorists, says Nigerian Emir
One of Nigeria’s most prominent Muslim leaders has suggested that polygamy among the poor should be banned, saying that having masses of uneducated, poor children leads to terrorism. Muhammad Sanusi, the Emir of the northern state of Kano, who has four wives, said that polygamy itself is not wrong, but […]