Tag: Nigeria

Nigerian elections: will religion play a part?

January 29, 2015 Nigeria Elections, Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria

As tensions rise ahead of the February 14 elections in Nigeria, some fear the country’s unity will face a new test and religious divisions will be exacerbated. The election sees a Christian presidential candidate from the south, incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, pitted against Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim candidate from the north. . . . Read More

‘Western forces’ help needed to defeat Boko Haram’

January 20, 2015 Nigeria Boko Haram, Borno, Maiduguri, Nigeria

A Bishop whose north-east Nigerian diocese has suffered most at the hands of Boko Haram is calling for the West to send in military forces to defeat the militants. Bishop Dashe Dome of Maiduguri diocese, told Aid to the Church in Need, “The West should bring in security – land . . . Read More

Paris attacks parallel fears over growing jihadist threat in Africa

January 14, 2015 Africa, Boko Haram, Charlie Hebdo, Chibok girls, Diffa, France, Islamic extremism, Mahamadou Issoufou, Mali, Mauritania, Muammar Gaddafi, NATO, Niger, Nigeria, Paris, Sub-Saharan Africa

Several African leaders, concerned by the rise of Islamism in the continent, attended the Paris anti-terror march, on Sunday, January 11th. Among the 50 foreign leaders who marched there, African heads of state included those from Mali, Niger, Senegal, Benin, Togo, and Gabon. They all expressed their sympathy to France . . . Read More

Boko Haram – why it’s hard to know the truth

January 14, 2015 Nigeria Boko Haram, Nigeria

Difficulty establishing facts connected with atrocities committed by Boko Haram has prompted criticism of Nigeria’s government and military spokespeople, especially following the attack in Baga that Amnesty International has called the ‘deadliest massacre’ in the history of the terror group. According to a BBC report Nigerian authorities have been silent . . . Read More

The West pays too little attention to Boko Haram

January 12, 2015 Nigeria Boko Haram, Chibok girls, EYN, Jos, Kidnapping, Maiduguri, Nigeria, Samuel Dali

The West pays too little attention to the threat of Boko Haram, according to the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, and it needs to show the kind of resolve the international community has shown over the attacks in Paris. Ignatius Kaigama was speaking to the BBC after the most recent Boko . . . Read More

Boko Haram kills up to 2,000 & burns churches

January 9, 2015 Nigeria Boko Haram, Borno, Nigeria

Several churches have been burned in a series of attacks Jan. 3-7 by Boko Haram in Baga, Borno state Nigeria, which the BBC said have claimed up to 2,000 victims. “I received a message of the Christians Association of Nigeria, the association of Christian churches in Nigeria, which states that . . . Read More

Nigerian Islamic Sultan calls for peace and unity

January 8, 2015 Nigeria Islamic extremism, Nigeria, Sultan of Sokoto

According to Vanguard News, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar – the Sultan of Sokoto, a region in northern Nigeria that is a seat of Islamic learning – has “called on Muslims and Christians to come together to end insurgency in the country.” Abubakar is the 20th Sultan and titular ruler of Sokoto, . . . Read More

2014: A year of rising hostility toward Christians

January 7, 2015 Global News -- No Particular Country Africa, Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Asia, Boko Haram, Buddhist nationalism, Central African Republic, China, Communism, Converts, East Africa, Fulani herdsmen, Hindu nationalism, India, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Latin America, Malaysia, Mexico, Middle Belt, Middle East, Narendra Modi, Nigeria, North Korea, Religious freedom, Sri Lanka, Sub-Saharan Africa, Syria

While the world’s eyes were riveted to Syria and Iraq in 2014, life for Christians worsened even more profoundly in Africa, according to an annual report on religious freedom. The situation deteriorated most rapidly in Sub-Saharan Africa, in countries where Islamic extremism is the main source of pressure upon Christians, . . . Read More

Christmas celebrated despite fears of Boko Haram

December 30, 2014 Nigeria Boko Haram, Borno, Christmas, Maiduguri, Nigeria

According to Agenzia Fides, the streets of the capital city of Borno State, Maiduguri, in northern Nigeria were kept vehicle-free Dec. 25-28 in order to prevent suicide bombings by militant Islamist group Boko Haram. Pastor Gideon Obasogie, Director of Communications of the Diocese of Maiduguri, said despite the lack of security . . . Read More

Another mass kidnapping and killing in Nigeria

December 19, 2014 Nigeria Boko Haram, Borno, Chibok girls, Children, Kidnapping, Nigeria, Women

Boko Haram is suspected to have killed at least 30 people and kidnapped as many as 200 women and children in an attack on a Nigerian village. A witness told the BBC “he helped bury 33 bodies,” and “about 200 women and children had been kidnapped from Gumsuri village in . . . Read More

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