An international human rights lawyer, Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, has alerted the US Government on the failure of the Nigerian Government to heed US President Donald Trump’s caution on the killing of Christians across Africa’s most populous country.

Ogebe, Special Counsel to Justice for Jos Project, laid the complaint in a letter dated June 26 2018 addressed to Sam Brownback, the US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.

Entitled HEINOUS MASSACRE IN NIGERIA FOLLOWING YOUR VISIT, the letter reads:

Welcome back from Nigeria and thank you for the courage and concern shown in making this critical trip. You will recall that your one week visit was pockmarked with 6 suicide bombings by Boko Haram in one day (the largest single day detonations) in the NE, deadly Shiite clashes with the police in the NW, altercations between local Muslims and a community near the capital and continuing killings by Muslim Fulani Herdsmen in the NC.

The grand finale of this vortex of violence was the triple digit massacre in Plateau State by Muslim Killer Fulani Herdsmen just as you left. http://punchng.com/breaking-plateau-imposes-curfew-as-fulani-herdsmen-allegedly-kill-200-in-11-villages/

Over the weekend, I have been inundated with photos too gruesome to share here of horribly mutilated bodies of children brutally macheted to death, and macheted still after death for maximal horror effect, charred corpses and bodies stacked in mass graves. Again another clergyman, his wife and child, of the Assemblies of God Church are amongst those slaughtered.

Already the Fulani Herdsmen association has justified this heinous crime against humanity http://scannewsnigeria.com/news/plateau-killings-are-retaliatory-says-miyetti-allah/

Sadly, this is not the first time nor the last. In 2012 when Fulanis massacred over 60 Christian villagers in Plateau State, an executive of the same cattle rearers group said the same thing. He is still free till today. After the New Year Day Massacre in Benue State, again they admitted it. No one has been arrested.

Worse still, some of the communities attacked this weekend were attacked previously. One of them was part of the notorious 2010 Dogo Na Hawa Massacre in which 500 Christians were killed. That massacre 8 years ago spurred me to launch the Justice For Jos project which has evolved to covering Boko Haram atrocities inter alia. Ironically the Herdsmen atrocities have continued unabated while Boko Haram hogged the spotlight.

At this point the Plateau massacre this weekend looks likely to be the third worst in the 8 years in which I have tracked Herdsmen attacks.

1. Dogo Nahawa 500 killed March 2010 Plateau State

2. Agatu 300 killed February 2016 Benue State

3. Barkin Ladi 200 Plateau State June 2018

Sadly, all of these occurred while Nigeria’s President Buhari was busy holding a party convention in his bid for re-election. Early last week I got distress messages from local workers in hiding because of ongoing Herdsmen attacks. However President Buhari reportedly deployed over 5000 policemen for his security at the party convention as the killings built up until the massacre despite all the early warnings. The fact that I received warnings in the US prior to the attacks clearly indicates it is not lack of intelligence but lack of political will if not outright complicity or implicit approbation that allowed this atrocity.

It is disconcerting that a small Muslim minority can so terrorize Christian majorities in Benue and Plateau states because of their monopoly of violence. The great danger is if Christians choose not to take it anymore. People are appealing for evacuation. However Plateau is where most Christians from the far north flee for safety so where does everyone one now go? This is indicative of the humanitarian crisis and global refugee explosion if Nigeria descends into religious war.

I urge that the US engage with Nigeria, as a matter of the utmost urgency, to:

1. Arrest and bring to justice the killers of Rev Fathers Josep Gor and Felix Ityolaha and congregants slain at St Ignatius Catholic Church in Benue State last April as well as the current killers of Rev Musa Choji and family of the Assemblies of God Church and end impunity in all such massacres

2. Put a full and final stop to further attacks which have affected over 1/3 of Nigeria’s 36 states

3. Provide compensation and reconstruction to victims and their communities

4. Release the Shiite leader in compliance with court orders

5. Stop the violent crackdown on the Shiite protestors and the Bring Back Our Girls activists

6. Bring culprits to justice and pay compensation for the destruction of Naka village in Benue State by the Nigerian military

7. Ensure the prompt release of abducted Christian Schoolgirl Leah Sharibu in her 4th month of terrorist captivity as well as the remaining Chibok girls forcefully converted to Islam

8. Rearrest and prosecute the killers of Evangelist Eunice Olawale and pastor’s wife Bridget who were murdered in broad daylight in Abuja and Kano respectively in 2016 but whose murderers were set free

The continuation of this slaughter after President Trump’s clear remarks to President Buhari to end them is an indication that the Nigerian government does not take the US President seriously and should be a concern for bilateral relations.

Thank you for your kind attention to these urgent matters.

•Photo: International human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe with US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom at his inauguration event. Photo credit: US NIGERIA LAW GROUP

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