Nigeria has devastatingly remained the “most Christian killed country” and “most dangerous place to be a Christian” as well as “Africa’s newest hotbed of Islamic Jihad and religious intolerance,” the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has observed.

Statistically shocking, it noted in statement signed by principal officers, Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chidimma Udegbunam, Obianuju Igboeli, and Ndidiamaka Bernard, is the fact that the country had in the past four months or from January to April 2021 lost no fewer than 1,470 Christians.

“Also, out of estimated 3,200 defenseless Nigerians abducted by jihadists during the period, Nigerian Christians accounted for no fewer than 2,200. The 1, 470 Christian deaths in four months is the highest number recorded since 2014 and it specifically surpassed the total number of Christians killed in the whole of 2019, estimated by the Open Doors to be 1,350.”

The group recalled that it had in early January 2021 disclosed, with statistics, that more than 2,400 defenseless Christians were hacked to death by jihadists in Nigeria in 2020.

But in the World Watch List report on Christians released by the United States based Open Doors, the group found that “3,530 Christians were killed in Nigeria between November 2019 and October 2020.” In other words, it is most likely correct to say that ‘between 2,401 and 3,530 Christians were hacked to death by jihadists in 2020 in Nigeria’.”

The latest research investigation conducted by Intersociety took weeks and cut across all the troubling Christian areas of the country with Kaduna recording the highest number of 300 Christian deaths out of an estimated total of 430 killings, followed by Benue with 200 Christian deaths, Plateau 90 Christian deaths, Igboland states of Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra, etc 80 Christian deaths, Christian part of Niger States (i.e. Shiroro, Munya and Rafi, etc) 70 deaths, Taraba/Adamawa 65 deaths, Ogun/Ondo 52 Christian deaths, Kebbi 50 Christian deaths (out of over 60 killed), Borno 50 Christian deaths (out of over 110 killed), Nasarawa 30 Christian deaths, Igbo part of Delta 20 Christian deaths, Edo 20 Christian deaths, non Igbo part of Delta 10 Christian deaths, Oyo/Ekiti/Osun 30 Christian deaths, Gombe 20 Christian deaths, Christian part of Geidam in Yobe State 15 deaths (out of total killings) and Kogi State 10 Christian deaths.

Nine Igbo Christians were also killed in Kibiya District of Kano State. There are also likely dozens of other Christian deaths, numbering over 30 not recorded. The Northern Muslim-controlled Nigerian Army also accounted for killing of at least 120 defenseless Christians from Benue, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi.

The research investigation further projected from interviews and Open Source reports that 220 Christians are most likely to have died or been killed in captivity of their abductors. This represents 10% of 2,200 abducted Christians across the country especially Christian travelers and rural others among them are male and young female farmers including those abducted and raped to death or killed after being raped. The totality of the above brings the number of defenseless Christians killed in Nigeria from January to April 2021 to 1,470, out of which jihadist Fulani herdsmen accounted for more than 800 Christians.

Killings by Jihadist Fulani herdsmen are concentrated in Southern Kaduna (jointly perpetrated with Fulani bandits), Plateau, Benue, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Delta, Edo, Southwest States, Kogi and Nasarawa.

Killings by Boko Haram and Fulani bandits are majorly witnessed in Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Yobe, Kebbi, Gombe, Niger and FCT.

Killings by ISWAP and Ansaru are concentrated in Borno, Adamawa and Taraba States.

In the area of the 2,200 abducted Christians, the breakdown indicates that Kaduna recorded the highest number with 800 abductions out of estimated total of 1,100 abductions.

Out of the 800 abducted Christians in the State, indigenous Christians accounted for 600, including those abducted in Muslim-held areas of Birnin-Gwari, Igabi and Giwa Local Government Areas. The abducted Christian travelers who are not indigenes of the State also accounted for about 200 and among them are dozens of Igbo Christians resident in Northern Nigeria especially those traveling from the North to the South or Niger State and the FCT.

Niger State, on its own part, recorded the second largest Christian abductees with 300 out of total of 450-500 abductions; followed by Adamawa/Taraba with 100 abductees, Borno with 50 abductees (out of not less than 130 abducted), Nasarawa with 40 abductees, Oyo/Ekiti/Osun with 40 abductees, FCT 30 abductees, Kogi 20 abductees, Ogun/Ondo 15 abductees and at least 205 others abducted by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen in Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Abia, Benue, Plateau, Kebbi, Yobe, Delta, Edo, etc. Added were 500 abducted Southeast indigenous Judeo-Christians secretly being held without trial since January 2021 by Nigerian Army, SSS, Police and Navy.

Who Is Killing Who In Nigeria’s Jihadists’ Circles

Intersociety said that providing credible and irrefutable answers to the above is as important as the special report itself. This, it further explained, is because the Nigerian Government and Governments of the affected States have made several deliberate attempts to cover the egregious massacre of Christians in Nigeria by falsely labeling them as ‘herders-farmers clashes’, or attacks by “bandits,” or ‘killings that cut across Muslims and Christians,” etc.

“However, in our extensive investigative findings accompanying this special report, the non-street crimes’ butcheries ravaging the country are originally categorized into:

1.) Killings with disproportionate reprisals by Fulani Muslim Bandits against Hausa Muslims (Yansakai),

2.) Killings and acutely disproportionate reprisals by Fulani Muslim Herdsmen against indigenous Christians in the North and nowadays Southwest, Southeast and South-south, and

3.) Killings and zero reprisals by Fulani, Kanuri and Shuwa Arab (with some Hausa Muslim foot soldiers) controlled Boko Haram, Ansaru and others against Christians, moderate Muslims and Government targets.

“For instance, the killings taking place against rural Muslims in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna States are perpetrated by variant Fulani jihadist terrorists called “Bandits”. Fulani Banditry originally formed in 2011 and 2013 when it went full swing following the killing by Hausa Muslims of ‘the most popular and highly respected Fulani leader in all the neighboring States of Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kebbi, one Alhaji Ishe, of Chilin village in Kuyambana district of Dansadau Emirate in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara on April 11, 2013. While Hausa Muslims operated a violent vigilante group, called ‘Yansakai’, the Fulani Muslims formed theirs, called ‘Zamfara Bandits’, which metamorphosed into today’s Jihadist ‘Bandits’.

“The rift between indigenous Hausa Muslims and their Fulani counterparts originally started over cattle rustling and related others leading to the two being at protracted daggers drawn. See the attached backup statistics for more details.

Eighty-Nine Southeast Christians Butchered In Four Months

The killings, raping, maiming and abductions by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen in Igbo States of the Southeast are being covered by Southeast Governors. In Anambra State, at least twenty Christians have been hacked to death by the Jihadists and scores abducted since January 2021 and yet little or nothing was said or done by the Government of Anambra State. See the attached backup statistics for more details. In Ebonyi State, not less than fifty Christian lives were lost to Fulani Jihadists between March and April 2021.

In the killings that swept Mgbo and others in Ohaukwu LGA back in April, at least seventeen Igbo Christians were butchered and the State Government falsely blamed it on “inter-communal” clash but later admitted that they were perpetrated by Fulani Herdsmen “hired by the People of Agila in Benue State”. In Ishielu Local Government Area of the State and its neighboring Eha-Amufu in Enugu State, not less than 30 Igbo Christians were massacred by Jihadist Fulani herdsmen in late March 2021 and among them were seven persons from Eha-Amufu and 23 others from the affected communities in Ishielu and among them were: Ekpe Ekene, Ajuru Nwekpe, Offorbuike Ede, Ede Friday, Ogbuzuru Ndubuisi, Joe Nwede, Nnaji Chinonso, Nnajionu Omebe Ogbodi, Reverend PC Njoku, Ogbuagu Aja, Chinedu Eze, Nnaji Offorbuike, Okpala Kenneth, Okonkwo Egwu, Friday Ogbuaborede, James (from Amanvu), Nkoli Sunday Odo and one unidentified. Nine Igbo Christians were also hacked to death in Kibiya District of Kano State; totaling at least 89 Igbo Christian lives lost in first four months of 2021.

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