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.
Nigerian student arrested after converting from Islam to Christianity
A Nigerian university student who converted from Islam to Christianity has been arrested by state security forces, as has the man who introduced her to Christianity. Nabila Umar Sanda, 19, is a student at Bingham University in Karu, in the central state of Nasarawa, which is owned by one of […]
‘Chibok girl’ asks parents to ‘embrace Islam’ in Boko Haram video
Boko Haram has released a video purporting to show some of the Chibok schoolgirls still in captivity. “In the video, a girl dressed in a full niqab [Islamic dress] appeals to her parents to embrace Islam,” the BBC’s Stephanie Hegarty reports. “Dressed in a blue and white niqab, the young […]
Fulani herdsmen ‘terrorists’ ‘pampered’ in Nigeria’s Middle Belt
A spate of violence attributed to ethnic Fulani herdsmen in central Nigeria has seen dozens killed since the turn of year. In Benue State, violence has claimed 80 lives and forced 80,000 to flee. The funerals on 11 January for 73 of the victims in Makurdi, Benue’s capital, were broadcast […]
Report: ‘Islamic war of expansion’ underpins ‘religious cleansing’ in southern Kaduna, Nigeria
A new report highlights Nigeria’s failed attempts, over decades, to deal with the violence perpetrated by Fulani Muslim herdsmen in one of the country’s Middle Belt states. It concludes that continued failings will force Christians to leave the area in a “religious cleansing” that is part of a drive for […]
Nigeria: British missionary’s kidnapper killed
The Nigerian Army says the leader of a gang responsible for the death of a British aid worker has been killed, the BBC reports. Peregbakumo Oyawerikumo was arrested by a special military task force. According to the army that task force was then ambushed on its way back to the […]
6 Nigerian nuns released 2 months after kidnap
Six Catholic nuns from a convent in the southern Nigerian state of Edo were released on Sunday (7 January), two months after they were kidnapped by armed men. The nuns, belonging to the Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Christ, were released after police intervention and were said to be […]
Another Chibok girl rescued, 112 still missing
The Nigerian Army says it has rescued one of the schoolgirls abducted by the radical Islamic group Boko Haram from the north-eastern town of Chibok in 2014. The girl, identified as Salomi Pogu, was found on 4 January in Pulka, in the north-eastern state of Borno, said the Army in […]
Nigeria’s New Year begins with attacks on Christians
In Nigeria, the New Year celebrations were marked by incidents which claimed dozen lives across the country. According to local sources and media, the attacks were carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen or Muslim youths, who targeted Christian worshippers. The attacks affected the volatile Middle Belt states (Benue, Kaduna), epicenter […]
Nigeria: 16 killed after New Year’s Eve church service
At least 16 people were killed as gunmen opened fire at churchgoers returning from a midnight service on New Year’s Eve in Omuku, a town in Nigeria’s southern Rivers state. According to the BBC, the New Year’s Eve fireworks initially made it difficult for people to realise that shots were […]
A Nigerian Christmas: no will or means to celebrate
How do Christians under pressure for their faith celebrate Christmas? In the ninth installment of our series, we hear from Nigerians in central Plateau State affected by violence. While the Islamist group Boko Haram has gained notoriety for its attacks on civil, military and Christian targets, a second source of […]