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.
Fulani herdsmen strike again in Kaduna, Nigeria
A predominantly Christian community in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna was attacked by suspected Muslim Fulani herdsmen on 31 May, local sources told World Watch Monitor. They said the early morning attack led to the burning of all the churches and some houses in the community. two dead, and […]
1.3 million Christians displaced in N. Nigeria
Christians in northern Nigeria have paid a heavy price for Fulani herdshmen’s attacks and Boko Haram’s insurgency, which aims at implementing Sharia in Africa’s most populous country. An estimated 11,500 Christians were killed, over 1.3 million others were displaced and 13,000 churches destroyed or abandoned between 2006 and 2014, said […]
Lost, then found, then lost
On 19 May, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari held a ceremony at the presidential palace to meet Amina Ali Nkeki, 19, the first of the 219 girls kidnapped from their Chibok school in April 2014 . The girl was there with her new baby, and her elderly mother. The three haven’t […]
‘Boko Haram is 100% a Muslim problem,’ says Sheikh
An influential Muslim cleric in Nigeria says the responsibility for dealing with the threat of Boko Haram lies with the Muslim community. “We [Muslims] have to understand that these people [Boko Haram] are from among us and that the society was not doing enough to bring these elements out,” Sheikh […]
Second Chibok girl rescued, says Nigerian army
Nigeria’s army says that it has rescued a second Chibok schoolgirl, two days after rescuing Amina Ali Nkeki, 19, the first of the 219 kidnapped girls to be found alive. “We are glad to state that among those rescued is a girl believed to be one of the Chibok Government […]
Return of one Chibok girl raises Nigeria’s hopes for the 218 still missing
The first missing schoolgirl kidnapped by Boko Haram militants two years ago has been rescued. Amina Ali Nkeki was found on Tuesday (17 May) in the Sambisa Forest, close to the border with Cameroon. Her return has now raised the hope that the rest of the 218 missing girls may yet […]
How to rebuild Nigeria after Boko Haram?
A security summit of regional and Western powers in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, has pledged a “global approach” comprising military and developmental efforts to end the threat posed by Boko Haram. Recent military operations by Nigeria and regional forces have led to territorial gains and revealed the scale of devastation. They […]
US lawmaker pledges to push for special envoy to Nigeria
A member of the U.S. Congress said on Wednesday (11 May) that he will help introduce legislation calling on the president to establish a special envoy to Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region, in an attempt to sharpen the American response to deadly Islamist insurgencies that have killed thousands […]
European Parliament debates Nigeria and Boko Haram
Jan Olbrycht MEP, co-chairman of the European People’s Party Working Group on Inter-religious Dialogue, and Joachim Zeller MEP, at the 3 May event.African Diaspora for Freedom of Religion A conference on religious radicalisation, Boko Haram and terrorism in Nigeria was held by the largest group in the European Parliament […]
Female bomber ‘signature’ weapon of Boko Haram
A new report reveals that the kidnapping of 270 Chibok girls in 2014 and the 400 women and children taken from Damasak in Nigeria last year are not isolated cases. It shows Boko Haram’s strategy aimed at using women – some as young as 10 – as suicide bombers in […]