Nigeria’s leading and respected human rights and democracy voice, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has blamed an alleged conspiracy between Nigeria’s security agencies and ‘government-protected Fulani Jihadists’ for last weekend’s massacre of innocent persons in Plateau State.

The group said In a Special Statement issued on Tuesday, Dec 26, 2023 in Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria, that it “has observed with deepest shock, dismay and sadness that security forces in Nigeria including the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force and the DSS; and the Government-protected Fulani Jihadists have continued unchecked to slaughter, abduct and disappear thousands of defenseless Nigerians (defenseless Christians and non Muslim others).

“Their slaughter, abduction and disappearance are done on the grounds of their faith (religion) and ethnicity. The worst of it all is that the butcheries, abductions and disappearances are politically sanctioned by the Federal Government of Nigeria and Sub-National (State) Governments in places where they have taken place. The Nigerian Government and the security forces and their agencies as presently constituted must return the country to “the security and safety of the people by the people and for the people” and they must also in the line of their sworn duties; shun divisive and discriminatory tendencies and partisanship, class criminalization, ethnic profiling and false-labeling. Intersociety also renews her earlier calls for the immediate scrapping of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and founding of a new stronger central Christian association capable of rising to the occasion in matters of defense of Christian Faith and protection of the Christian Faithful, worship centers and their properties.”

Below is the rest of the Special Statement signed by Intersociety’s Board Chair Emeka Umeagbalasi and Head, Campaign and Publicity Chidinma Udegbunam Esquire:

“Christmas Eve Massacre Of 160 Defenseless Plateau Christians Strongly Condemned

“Totally and strongly condemned are the 2023 Christmas Eve (between Dec 24 and 25) massacre by Fulani Jihadists of not less than 160 defenseless Plateau Christians in Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarbe, Dares, Darwat, etc in Bokkos Local Government Area where over 90 defenseless Christians were slaughtered and Gashishi and Ropp Districts of Barkin-Ladi LGA and others in Mangu LGA where not less than 70 others were hacked to death. According to local authorities and the Voice of America, “the death toll has now risen to at least 160” with over 300 injured and not less than 20 communities attacked and 221 houses burned down or wantonly destroyed in Bokkos alone. Intersociety also sees the latest butcheries as clear handiwork of Fulani Jihadists (Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and Jihadist Fulani Bandits) and conspiratorial security chiefs and operatives particularly the operatives of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force and the DSS.

“It is further shocking and unbelievable that despite Jos and environs being the second most fortified city (after Kaduna) in Northern Nigeria in particular and Nigeria in general, in terms of military, intelligence and police facilities and their handlers or commanders, the City of Jos and environs have become most vulnerable and unprotected for Christians and other non Muslims and their sacred places of worship, lands and dwelling houses. As a matter of fact, Kaduna, Plateau and Benue States have become dangerously unsafe for Christians and non Muslim others; to the extent that Fulani Jihadists recklessly and rapaciously invade their Christian communities and other non Muslim settlements at will and slaughter them at will and unchallenged. Even when the deployed security forces receive early warning signals from the victims, the Fulani Jihadists still have their way and slaughter as many defenseless Christian citizens and burn down their properties as they wish and without resistance from any security quarters.

“It is Now ‘Better To Kill 100 Christians Than To Kill A Jihadist Fulani Herdsman In Nigeria’

“The situation of Christians and other non Muslims in Nigeria or any part thereof has become so worrying and vulnerable that the slogan: “it is better to kill 100 Christians than to kill a Fulani Herdsman”; has seemingly become the coded operational modus of the country’s security forces and their commanders. Apart from the country’s security forces and their establishments being manifestly biased and partisan, the policy makers in Nigeria since mid 2015; mainly drawn from Muslim population have consistently worked to grossly undermine the religious freedoms and civil liberties’ provisions in the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 as amended and similar provisions in the country’s Treaty Laws such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights of 1981 (ratified and domesticated by Nigeria in 1983) and the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1976 (ratified by Nigeria in 1993). The above is to the extent that countless militarist and ouster legislations have been illegitimately enacted by the conformist National Assembly of Nigeria particularly between 2016 and Nov 2023 to grossly undermine respect for religious freedoms including those provided in Sections 10 and 38 as well as rights to life, dignity of human person (freedom from torture); personal liberty and fair hearing; and rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association and freedom from discrimination (on the grounds of disability, place of birth, gender, class and ethnicity and religion). The country’s political leaders and security chiefs have directly or vicariously; or both, undermined these constitutional and statutory safeguards; to the extent that the security forces turn blind eyes when Christians and non Muslim others are attacked and massacred or terminally maimed by Fulani Jihadists (.i.e. Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and Jihadist Fulani Bandits) and turn around to protect the attackers and false-label the victims as “the attackers”.

“Fulani Jihadists Slaughtered Over 3,500 Christians, Security Forces Disappeared Over 1,000

“More than 4,500 Christians are most likely to have been slaughtered in Nigeria since the beginning of January 2023 by the combined forces of the Nigerian security forces (Armed forces, police and DSS) and the Government-protected Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and Jihadist Fulani Bandits; out of which Fulani Jihadists accounted for over 3,500 Christian deaths. In the Lokpanta-Okigwe-Uturu-Umunneochi axis of the Port-Harcourt-Enugu Expressway in the Igbo South-East, over 300 Igbo-Christian travelers and their families including the infants have been killed since January 2023 by the security forces-protected Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen who have also laid siege on other parts of Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Imo and Abia States till date; killing dozens and maiming hundreds. The estimate of “4,500 Christian deaths” from January to this date of Dec 2023 is subject to our forthcoming comprehensive review and updates.

“On the other hand, the whereabouts of at least 1000 Igbo-Christian citizens, mostly members of the male population in their productive age-brackets, from the South-East could not be officially accounted for since January 2023. They have become victims of security forces abduction and disappearance or secret killings in security custody or on transit. Our several investigations have indicated that the country’s security forces particularly soldiers of the Nigerian Army and operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (various crack squads) and the DSS are responsible. The security forces and their commanders mentioned above are also found to have resorted to crudest form of law enforcement operations in the country since mid 2015; to the extent that hundreds of promising Igbo-Christians are being rounded up at night and other hours and secretly bundled away under phantom accusations including “involvement in Biafra terrorism” from where they are permanently disappeared without being subjected to codified or statutory processes of criminal investigation, prosecution and sentencing or discharge and acquittal. Maximum force was also found to have been used or applied even when they were unarmed at the point of arrest leading to many of them heavily tortured or inflicted with gunshot wounds. After being shot and injured, they are hardly treated or taken to hospital and when they die in custody or on transit, their bodies are disposed off like dead fowls and records of their arrest (if any) erased.

In Anambra State alone, not less than 200 males in their productive age-brackets have been abducted and bundled to unknown destinations since January 2023 by various police cracks squads including Nigeria Police RRS, IRT, SWAT, Anti Terrorism, Anti Robbery and Anti Cult, etc; and DSS and soldiers of the Nigerian Army. Out of the remaining 800 cases of abduction and disappearance, Imo State accounted for 400 while Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi States shared responsibility for 400 others. The abducted young Igbo-Christian males are randomly accused of “IPOB or ESN membership” after which they are crookedly taken to different secret detention centers across Nigeria including the Ogoni Underground Prisons in Rivers State and others located in Keffi (Nasarawa State) and Zungeru, Bida, Kotangora and Suleja in Niger State as well as other secret locations in the FCT, Kaduna, Zamfara, etc. It is also likely that as much as 3000 of them from Igbo South-East and South-South are presently being held since 2021 without trial in several secret military and policing dungeons Northern Nigeria after they were abducted in their homes or other social arenas particularly in the hours of the blue-law. Among those abducted and disappeared since January 2023 from Anambra State alone are: Ndefo Felix, Ani Izuchukwu, Odoh Friday, Chukwuka Raphael, Ikenna Chibueze, Hyacinth Ugwuike, Ozioma, Osita Udenze, Magnus Nnabuike, Chijioke Ali, Christopher Njenje, Emeka Okonkwor, Livinus Egbo, Okeke Uchenna, Ogbu Michael, Nweke Chukwuemeka, Obieze Ugochukwu, Chigozie Oghem, Chisom Nwizu, Ikechukwu Okoro, Chinedu Odenigbo, Chinedu Obiah, Chijioke Obama, Ogochukwu Nweke, Uchenna Oganama and Emmanuel Obinani. Elder Emeka Augustine Ibenacho was accused of “being IPOB member” and on May 18, 2022, he was abducted by the Joint Security Taskforce (soldiers and Ebubeagu killer squad) in his house in Aji Community, Oru West in Imo State and later dumped at the Owerri DSS Directorate from where he was secretly located by his friends in the Ogoni Underground Prisons in Rivers State. He was later moved to “Abuja” where he has not been traced alive till date.

“Religious Freedoms And Civic Liberties Now Abused With Reckless Abandon In Nigeria

“The Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution is very clear and unambiguous in its Section 10 which disallows and forbids adoption of any religion as ‘a State Religion’; Section 38 which guarantees right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; Section 33 which guarantees right to life; Section 34 which guarantees right to dignity of human person (freedom from torture); Section 35 which guarantees right to personal liberty; Section 36 which guarantees right to fair hearing; Section 39 which guarantees right to freedom of expression; Section 40 which guarantees right to freedom of assembly and association; and Section 42 which guarantees right to freedom from discrimination particularly on the grounds of place of birth, gender, class, ethnicity and religion. All of the above and more are clearly and unambiguously replicated in various Human Rights and Humanitarian Treaty Laws willingly acceded to by Nigeria; a supposedly “member of the comity of civilized nations”. Under the Chapter Two of the Constitution (Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy) which is the Code of Conduct for Nigeria’s elected and appointed Public Office Holders”; these “Responsibilities” are morally imposed on them devoid of any derogation and are clearly under Sections 14, 15 and 17 of the Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution.

“Xmas Eve Massacre Of 160 Plateau Christians As A Revenge For Bombing Of 120 Muslims?

“It is strongly suspected that the 2023 Xmas Eve massacre of not less than 160 Plateau Christians was likely a clandestinely Government coordinated revenge killing using the Government-protected Fulani Jihadists to launch a reprisal attack over the 3^rd Dec 2023 killing of over 120 defenseless Islamic Festival celebrants in Tudun Biri part of Kaduna State. The innocent Muslims numbering over 120 were killed by two airstrikes coordinated by the Nigerian Defense Headquarters of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The “class criminalization” sort of revenge killing of over 160 defenseless Plateau Christians must have also arisen from “transfer of criminality responsibility” through class criminalization and ethno-religious hatred and bigotry.

“The above is also against the backdrop of the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum’s recent statement singling out a serving Igbo Christian Army General as being solely responsible for the military air-bombing; and turning blind eyes or maintaining conspiracy of silence on others including the Chief of Defense Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Air Staff and the Army’s Chief of Operations. The Nigerian security forces and their commanders are also crudely biased and partisan. Clear cases in point include the recent air-bombing of over 120 defenseless Muslims in Kaduna by the Nigerian military war jets during which the arena became a Jerusalem or a Mecca for the country’s political leaders and politicians. The same political leaders and politicians have refused to rush to the scene of the 2023 Christmas Eve massacre of not less than 160 Plateau Christians. In Kale-Balge in Borno State in Jan 2017, not less than 236 Christian IDPs were bombed to death by Nigerian Military war jets and in Dec 2017 in a Christian village of Numan in Adamawa State, the Nigerian Armed Forces air-bombings also killed over 50 rural Christians during which Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen barricaded the area and sliced the throats of dozens fleeing from the bombings; killing over 30 in the end. The Nigerian Defense Headquarters initially denied responsibility for the two sets of killings and following intense public outcries, it later claimed that “those killed were fleeing terrorists”. Till date, nobody has been held responsible and brought to justice.”

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