A total of 14 Christians, including a one-year-old baby girl and a pregnant woman, were all murdered in cold blood following a Christmas carol service in Plateau state, Nigeria, clearly demonstrating that persecution of Christ followers is alive and well in various parts of the world. This awful incident is just the latest in a slew of such attacks against the Irigwe tribe, which resides in the north-central region of the country. The attack took place about 22 miles from Jos, Plateau state, and was carried out against the Evangelical Church Winning All, according to International Christian Concern, a persecution watchdog organization founded in the United States.
“The community surrounding the church is home to about 1,000 Christians. Local leader Wuna Gado was quoted as saying that he had alerted military personnel at a nearby checkpoint about unusual activities but felt his warnings were dismissed. The attack resulted in the loss of entire families and a mass burial was held, ICC said. Among the victims were 1-year-old Sheba Ernest and her mother, Mary Stephen,” a report from The Christian Post revealed.
The Irigwe people, a predominantly Christian group, have faced ongoing adversity, including violence and displacement by Fulani militias, with more than 2,000 Christians killed since 2016. The latest assault adds to a history of attacks that often coincide with significant Christian celebrations, ICC noted.
Between 2019 and 2023, more than 16,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria, according to data collected by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, which previously shared a report carrying the data with The Christian Post. The group documented 55,910 fatalities from 9,970 attacks across Nigeria, including both civilians and combatants. Of those killed, 30,880 were civilians. Christian victims totaled 16,769, outnumbering the 6,235 Muslim fatalities, with a ratio of 6.5 Christian deaths to every Muslim death.
A whopping 55 percent of the Christian deaths that have taken place have been carried out at the hands of radicalized Muslim Fulani herdsmen. This is not a religion of peace, ladies and gentlemen. It’s time we stop believing that lie. Islam is inherently violent and hateful toward anyone who does not convert.
The report stated that misleading euphemisms, such as “armed herdsmen” and “cattle grazers,” are used to describe continuous waves of invasion, torture and killing in rural communities. Descriptions of attacks as “ethnic clashes,” “farmer-herder clashes,” or retaliatory attacks are seriously misleading. The report also warned that the term “bandits” is often used to describe militias that carry out mass kidnappings and enforce “serfdom” on communities, adding that “a policy of concealing the religious identity of victims” is distorting the reality of the situation.
The Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, an observatory partner and analyst, said in a statement: “Fulani Ethnic Militia are targeting Christian populations, while Muslims also suffer severely at their hands.”
Senior analyst at the observatory, Frans Vierhout, went on to say, “Millions of people are left undefended. For years, we’ve heard of calls for help being ignored, as terrorists attack vulnerable communities. Now the data tells its own story.”
“The Nigerian government should wake up to its responsibility of securing the lives and properties of Nigerians. Impunity has allowed targeted attacks against innocent people to continue unabatedly,” the report finished.
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