Violence against Christians on the rise in Nigeria: murder, mutilation, and destruction of churches

Religious persecution in Nigeria is intensifying. Extremist groups linked to Islam, such as Fulani herdsmen militias and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction, have carried out brutal attacks against Christian communities in different regions of the country.

In one shocking case, a Christian woman saw her husband and two of her sons murdered by attackers before her eyes. The youngest son, who survived the attack, was also mutilated: his hand was severed.

Another victim reported that her home and the church she attended were burned by jihadists. More than 150 members of her congregation were killed in the attack.

According to Ted Blake, Open Doors’ director in Spain, Nigeria accounts for an alarming share of the world’s faith-motivated murders: this year, 69% of the global total, according to his figures, after standing at around 80% the previous year.

The violence has spread beyond the north of the country, a traditional conflict zone, and is now also affecting regions in the center and south, where the Christian population was until recently relatively safer.

Human rights organizations denounce both the Nigerian government’s inaction and the international silence in the face of what they describe as a religious cleansing. Victims cry out for help and visibility while the aggressors act with impunity.

Amid the horror, there is a growing urgency to protect vulnerable communities and for the world to respond firmly to this wave of faith-motivated violence.