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.
Boko Haram kidnaps more girls; outrage mounts
The number of Nigerian girls abducted by Boko Haram continues to increase, as does global outrage. Between eight and 11 more teen-aged girls were kidnapped May 4 by the Islamist group, which on April 14 abducted more than 230 schoolgirls, most of them reported to be Christian, from the northeastern […]
List: 165 kidnapped girls are Christian
Of the 200 or more girls kidnapped April 14 from a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, at least 165 of them are Christian, according to a list of names and a statement released Sunday, May 4, by a former chairman of an affiliate of the Christian Association of Nigeria. Neither […]
Nigeria’s kidnapped teens feared to be abroad
Sources say that some of the 230 school girls abducted from Nigeria’s North-Eastern town of Chibok more than two weeks ago have been transferred to neighboring Cameroon and Chad. Some villagers near the Nigeria-Cameroon border indicate that they have seen girls on board buses heading to Cameroon. Other reports given […]
Nigeria churches urge global prayer for 187 missing girls
Nigeria’s largest church network, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called for prayer and fasting for the safe release of 230 teenage school girls abducted last week. ”The CAN leadership, especially our President, has called that all Christians pray and fast [on Friday, 25th April] because of the security […]
How does Boko Haram justify kidnap of 230 Nigerian teenage girls?
As the world vacillates between outrage and numb impotence in the face of Boko Haram’s recent kidnapping of about 230 teenage girls from the mainly Christian enclave of Chibok, northern Nigeria, the questions “Why these girls?” and “How much longer?” beg yet again for answers. But from whom? A timely […]
Boko Haram suspected in deadly attacks
The militant Boko Haram sect is suspected in weekend attacks on villages in Nigeria’s beleagured northeast that left scores dead. News reports said the attackers, armed with military rifles, shoulder-launched grenades and firebombs set fire to the villages of Ngoshe, Kaigamari and Anchaka, in Borno state. The attackers fired on […]
20 Nigerian churches destroyed during violent March
More than 20 churches have been destroyed by Fulani herdsmen during attacks on communities in Benue State, Nigeria. The attacks in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” started early in March but resumed March 23 in the town of Gbajimba, in the Guma Local Government Area. The attacks have claimed more than 100 […]
Kaduna villages’ death toll rises to 150, including pastor’s wife and three children
The death toll following a massacre across three villages in central Nigeria a week ago has risen beyond 150, according to the deputy Chairman of the Kaura Local Government Area in Southern Kaduna. Suspected Fulani herdsmen raided three mainly Christian villages Ugwar Sankwai, Ungwan Gata and Chenshyi (known also as […]
Nigeria attacks kill more than 150
Attacks in Kaduna state, Nigeria, on March 14 left more than 114 people dead and many houses burned.World Watch Monitor More than 150 people have been killed since Friday in central and northern Nigeria in separate attacks on villages populated by a concentration of Christians. On Friday, March 14, […]
Nigeria’s churches will not stay silent during violence, leader says
Nigeria’s largest church network is calling on the country’s president for more protection from Boko Haram attacks. The president, meanwhile, is calling for more prayer. “We will not keep silence amidst persecution Christians are facing,” Rev. Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, told World Watch Monitor on […]