ONITSHA (Sundiata Post) – Human rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law (Intersociety), says 2,200 Christians have been killed in Nigeria between January and 13 December 2020.
In a special report made available to Sundiata Post on Thursday, the group also said 34,400 Christians have been hacked to death in the country since 2009.
The executive summary of the 13-page report reads:
Death of 2,200 Nigerian Christians in 2020:
From Jan 2020 to this 13th Dec 2020, Intersociety has statistically found that as much as or not less than 2,200 Christians are most likely to have been killed in Nigeria and out of this figure, Jihadist Fulani herdsmen are responsible for as much as or not less than 1,300 Christian deaths, followed by Boko Haram and its splinter groups (ISWAP and Ansaru) with 500 Christian deaths, Nigerian Army, 200 Christian deaths and Jihadist “bandits” 100 Christian deaths. The 500 Christian deaths by Boko Haram and its splinter groups, arrived at using 60% Muslim and 40% Christian casualty calculation or ratio, had arisen from estimated 1,200 defenceless civilians killed by the jihadists from 1st Jan to 13th December 2020. In other words, Nigeria in 2020 has lost average of six Christians per day and 180 per month.
It is strongly and circumstantially suspected that the Nigerian security forces particularly the Army, the Police, the Spy Police and the country’s non-state actor jihadists have in this 2020 carried out as much as or not less than 100 secret executions, done on the grounds of ethnicity and religion; involving those secretly arrested or abducted and taken into their secret detention facilities or camps manned by the jihadists from where they were likely to have been secretly executed. The addition of this figure therefore brings the total number of defenceless citizens killed this year (2020) on religious and ethnicity grounds by Nigerian security forces and Islamic Jihadists to 2,200. This figure is subject to further updates in the remaining eighteen days of 2020, if the killings are continued.
The targeted and systematic killing of Christians in 2020 by the Jihadist Fulani herdsmen, leading to as much as or not less than 1,300 Christian deaths had occurred in Southern Kaduna which recorded the highest number with at least 455 Christian deaths, followed by Benue State with 210 deaths; Plateau State, 173; Niger State, 70; Kogi State, 55; Nasarawa State, 42; Adamawa State, 40; Igboland including Igbo parts of Delta and Benue, 40; Taraba State, 32; Southwest Region about 35; non-Igbo parts of Delta State, 20; Edo State,15 and Bayelsa State, 4.
The 1,300 Jihadist Fulani herdsmen massacred Christians include at least 50 abducted Christians, mainly abducted about five months ago in Jihadist Fulani herdsmen attacks on Christian settlements and farmlands in Kaduna as well as addition of ‘dark figure’ of 70. The “dark figure”, a valid research principle in criminology, represents those Christians killed but went unreported or not documented.
Statistical Instances of Recent Jihadist Herdsmen Killings
Among the recent killings by the Jihadist Fulani herdsmen are: Kefas Malachy Bobai, 30 years old and Miss Takama Paul, 16 years old student, killed on 18th August in Gora Ward, Zagon Kataf Local Government Area (LGA), Kaduna. On 17th August, Bulus Joseph, 48 years old, was killed in his farm in Sabon Gida Idon along Kaduna-Kachia Road in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. On 16th August, Pastor Adalchi Usman was killed in Kajuru LGA, Kaduna State. Citizens Mariah Na’Allah, Shekari and Ezekiel Maikasa also met their untimely death same day and a driver, Citizen Danlami Dariya was abducted and he disappeared. On same 16th August, Christian Village Head of Bugai, near Banikanwa in Kachia LGA, Mr. Dan’azuumi, 67 years of age and his siblings: Aniya Musa, Kande Musa- his 97 years old mother and Angelina Irmiya, his 45 years old younger sister, were also killed.
On 6th Sept, 2020, Rev Alubara Audu, Adamu Tata and Ishaku Peter were killed in Buda Ward, Kajuru LGA in Kaduna State. On 26th October, Mr. Kaduna Garba, an Adara Christian native, was killed as well as Citizen Dachomo Alamba, a native of Atyap and five other Christians from same area were all killed by the Jihadist Fulani herdsmen. On 29th November 2020, six Christians were hacked to death by the Jihadist Fulani herdsmen in Ungwan Bido in Jema’a LGA, Kaduna State and their names were given as: Silas Maman, Malaki Tabat, Geofrey Andrew, Annah Ahmadu, Sunday Tagwah and Fidelis Musa. Houses belonging to Adamu Mangai, Gideon Nuhu, Andrew Adamu and Alphonsus Michael were razed while two children: Rebecca Andrew and Clement Andrew got abducted.
On Friday night, 11th December 2020, around 11pm, Jihadist Fulani herdsmen attacked Tse-Angbande Community in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State and killed at least four Christians who were members of the same family. Their names were given as: Timothy Emberga Akwa, Innocent Akwa, Terhemba Akwa and an in-law, simply identified as Orban.
By the account of the NigerianLawyer.com, a respected online news, dated 16th December 2020, in one of their latest rounds of anti Christian butcheries, the Jihadist Fulani herdsmen, Barrister Moses Udam, his wife and Mr. Nyiko, a blind man and three of his grand children were in the late hours (about 11pm) of Tuesday, 15th December 2020 hacked to death in their compounds. While late Barrister Moses Udam, who just celebrated his birthday, was hacked to death after being shot with rifles and ‘macheted’, his wife was raped mercilessly before being hacked to death with gunshots and machetes. Their killing took place at Agboughol, Kpeifi behind NSK Church along Kua Road in Makurdi, Benue State, North-Central Nigeria. These instances are just to highlight but a few.
Death of 34,400 Nigerian Christians Since 2009
From the killing of Christians in Nigeria monitored and investigated through open and closed sources by Intersociety in the past 10 years or since 2010, the anti-Christian killings which majorly started in July 2009 have as at this date, 13th December 2020 led to estimated 34,400 Christian deaths. This figure includes 1,400 Christians massacred since August 2015 by the country’s security forces particularly the Army, Police and Air Force. On the other hand, this number did not include over 12,000 Christians who formed over half of internationally estimated 24,000 abducted and disappeared persons who went missing since 2009 same year Boko Haram launched its uprising against Christians and then Government of Nigeria. Boko Haram and its splinter jihadist groups, excluding Jihadist Fulani herdsmen, have been accused of killing not less than 39,000 defenseless civilians in Nigeria since 2009.
Boko Haram & Ors Have Killed 17,000 Christians Since 2009
Over 17,000 defenceless Christians have been hacked to death since July 2009 by Boko Haram and its splinter groups, out of which, 8,370 were members of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, a dominant church in the Boko Haram insurgency affected states of Taraba, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno.
The remaining 8,630 slain Christians are spread among other Christian denominations dominant in the Boko Haram insurgency affected areas and among them are Catholics, Anglicans, Pentecostals and members of ECWA and African instituted churches. Specifically, Boko Haram jihadists killed estimated 11,400 Christians between July 2009 and Jan 2014 and over 6,200 between Jan 2015 and 13th December 2020. In 2020 alone, estimated 500 Christians have been hacked to death by the Jihadist sect and its splinter groups.
Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen Have Killed 15,500 Christians Since 2010
Jihadist Fulani herdsmen, on their part, were responsible for death of estimated 6,000 Christians between Jan 2010 and Dec 2014 and between 9,500 between Jan 2015 and 13th Dec 2020; totaling 15,500 Christian deaths in ten years or since 2010. In 2020 alone, Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen have been responsible for death of as much as or not less than 1300 Christians.
Jihadist “Bandits” Have Killed 500 Christians Since 2016
The Jihadist “Bandits” have been responsible for estimated 500 Christian deaths in the past four years or since 2016. In this 2020, not less than 100 Christian deaths have also been recorded in their butchery hands.
This special report was researched and compiled for Intersociety by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Criminologist & Graduate of Security Studies and Intersociety Board Chair; assisted by Barr Chinwe Umeche, Barr Chidimma Udegbunam, Barr Obianuju Igboeli, Barr Ndidiamaka Chinaza Bernard and Comrade Samuel Kamanyaoku.
attention paid to Boko Haram. Nigerians and the world may not be surprised to hear from the Court soonest that “it is only investigating or has found merit in the crimes committed by Boko Haram and the Nigerian security agencies from May 2015 and backward or below”.
It is on the basis of the above, therefore, that we are calling for sustained international campaigns and efforts at ensuring the final exit of the duo from the leadership of the Court. In other words, lovers and apostles of justice all over the world must not only ensure that Mr. Chile Eboe-Osuji is not returned in April 2021 as second term President of ICC, but also get a new charismatic and statesmanlike elected as the new President of the Court. Madam Fatou Bom Bensouda, on her part, must no longer be taken serious. As a matter of fact, she should be assisted in packing her luggage out of the ICC Prosecutor’s Office at The Hague. Powerful State-Parties to ICC, including the Great Britain, France, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, Denmark, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, South Africa and Portugal and powerfully influential watchdogs like Amnesty Int’l and Human Rights Watch and Britain’s eminent activist Parliamentarians, etc are respectfully prayed and called upon to take note.
The second striking feature in our special report is our forensic updates on the number of defenseless Christians killed by the country’s non state actor jihadist groups in 2020 and those killed since 2009. Also captured are defenseless Christians killed by Nigeria’s heavily Muslim controlled or dominated security forces particularly the Nigerian Army. The Nigerian Army is majorly responsible for 200 Christian deaths in 2020 alone and 1,400 since August 2015. Our inclusion of Christians killed by the Army in particular as well as some killed by Police and Air Force followed our careful observation and study of the composition and hateful conducts of the trio particularly by soldiers of the Nigerian Army.
Such hateful killings are targeted at particular citizens of the country on the grounds of their religion and ethnicity. For instance, our assessment of the Obigbo Army Massacre, Emene Army Massacre, Lekki Army Massacre, Takum-Taraba Tiv Christians massacred by the Army in June 2020 and the Oct 2020 EndSARS killings in the Southeast majorly perpetrated by the Army and Police, clearly indicate that the victims were hatefully targeted and hatefully killed or maimed on the grounds of their ethnic and religious backgrounds. Their killers are also found to be selectively composed and lumped along ethno-religious lines hateful of the victims and their ethno-religious backgrounds.
