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 killed Christian woman’s son to ‘teach her a lesson’ for not converting to Islam
The shocking story of Rebecca Bitrus, a Nigerian woman who suffered terrible abuse after her capture by Boko Haram in 2014, has been shared with Pope Francis at a meeting in the Vatican. Her story, shared as the Colosseum was lit up in red last Saturday (24 February) in support […]
Fears of ‘another Chibok’ after Boko Haram school attack
Fears are growing that the girls still missing after Boko Haram attacked a boarding school in Nigeria’s north-eastern state of Yobe on Monday night (19 February) have been taken by the militant group. The attack comes almost four years after Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok, […]
Boko Haram leader allowed to walk free – BBC
The leader of the radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, was allowed to walk away as the army took over the militants’ main camp in the Sambisa Forest in north-east Nigeria earlier this month, the BBC has revealed. Abubakar Shekau, the country’s most-wanted man, has been designated a terrorist by the […]
Nigeria: First conviction over Chibok girls kidnapping
A man involved in the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, north-eastern Nigeria in 2014 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Haruna Yahaya, 35, is the first member of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram to be sentenced for playing a part in the mass abduction, the BBC […]
Nigeria: 7 more killed in violence attributed to Fulani herdsmen
At least seven people were killed on Sunday (11 February) as violence attributed to Fulani herdsmen continued in Nigeria, local news site This Day reported. In Kaduna State, four people were hacked to death in Bakin Kogi village, of Jama’a local government area. The victims were returning from their farms, […]
Nigerian bishops accuse government of failing to protect citizens from ‘terrorist’ herdsmen
Nigeria’s Catholic bishops have told President Muhammadu Buhari that attacks attributed to members of the Fulani pastoralist tribe have been carried out by “terrorists masquerading as herdsmen” and accused the government of being “incapable or unwilling” to protect citizens from them. A delegation of 11 bishops delivered a strongly worded […]
Nigeria: Fears for captive Chibok girls as Boko Haram forced to flee
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and his fighters have fled their base in the Sambisa Forest for Konduga, an area closer to Borno state capital Maiduguri, reports Nigeria’s Daily Trust. The insurgents have taken with them an “unspecified number” of captives, believed to include the remaining Chibok schoolgirls. Following the […]
Nigeria: 75 killed in renewed Fulani attacks on Christian community in Plateau
No fewer than 75 corpses have been recovered following a string of attacks by Fulani herdsmen on the predominantly Christian community of Miango, in the Bassa local government area of Plateau state, central Nigeria. Jerry Datim, a religious leader from the area, told World Watch Monitor that the first attack […]
Nigerian Air Force complicit in massacre of Christian villagers, says Amnesty
Fighter jets sent by the Nigerian Air Force fired rockets at villages where Fulani herdsmen were attacking Christian residents, according to a report released this week by Amnesty International. The Nigerian Air Force confirmed that jets were despatched, but said they were instructed to fire only “warning shots” to deter […]
New IS branch discovered in Nigeria, as UK archbishop calls for end to violence
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has called for an end to the ongoing violence in Nigeria. His statement comes as a new terrorist network has been discovered in the country – IS in West Africa (ISWA) – which recruits foreigners to act as Fulani herdsmen and attack local communities. […]