The Nigerian aspect of the recent 21st annual report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on the state of religious liberty around the world “was slanted to give the impression that Christians suffered less at the hands of terrorists than Muslims with reported attacks on churches by terrorists either not mentioned at all while mosques were mentioned or more mosques listed and a solitary church stated where mentioned at all.”

This is according to international human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe of US NIGERIA LAW GROUP, Washington. He noted that “Churches (were) not included as victims of Boko Haram insurgency but mosques were even though Christians are the primary target. Per the report.”

Ogebe quoted part of the report: “The terrorist groups targeted security forces more than in any previous year. Although Haram successfully targeted military posts and convoys, houses, farmlands, and mosques; abducted civilians; and killed hostages, including numerous humanitarian aid workers. Since 2009, Boko Haram has displaced more than two million people and killed tens of thousands.”

He declared that “USCIRF failed to acknowledge attacks on churches by the terrorists.”

Below is the remainder of Ogebe’s submission as contained in a statement made available to News Express by e-mail:

“Christians not acknowledged as victims of terrorism. The bizarre non-acknowledgement of church attacks as highlighted above is deepened by the preceding sentence, to wit, “During the week of Christmas, ISIS-West Africa released a video showing the horrific killing of 11 captives and stated it was executing Christians in retaliation for the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.” USCIRF failed to explicitly acknowledge that Christians were executed on Christmas Day referring rather to “captives” and then only quoted the terrorists as targeting Christians for the specific reprisal for ISIS leader’s killing by the US. Then despite saying this, USCIRF did not list any Christian targets but quite on the contrary argues that the military were more targeted despite Boko Haram’s clear claims. The report omitted specific mention of the horrific and widespread atrocities of the killer Fulani Muslim herdsmen and merely referred once to “communal and ethnic militia attacks” between the Adara and Fulani communities in Kaduna.

“Rather the report broadly stated that “The widespread security issues of intercommunal and militia violence, rampant kidnapping, and general criminality also negatively impacted religious freedom. There were multiple reports of criminal attacks on religious and traditional leaders and houses of worship. In the surge of hundreds of kidnappings in 2019, media reported numerous incidents of kidnappings for ransom and the killing of Protestant and Catholic priests, including in Enugu, Ondo, and Kaduna states.” Again this did not identify the parties who are the predominant victims and the parties who are the predominant perpetrators not the fact that these attacks were not merely criminal but underpinned by religious targeting. For instance, it is largely Christians being abducted by largely Muslims whereas there is no similar systematized syndication of Christians abducting Muslims.

“The report recharacterized or mischaracterized the religious nature of the violence when it said “There was less reporting of religious-based targeting in intercommunal violence in the Middle Belt region as compared to 2018; however, there continued to be reports of communal or ethnic militia attacks on entire communities, such as in Kaduna between Christian Adara and Muslim Fulani groups, in Zamfara, and in Taraba.” It is to be stated that while the comparative numbers of persons killed by Fulani herdsmen may have reduced in 2019 compared to 2018 probably due to its being an election, numerous killings still occurred in over a dozen Nigerian states beyond the three cited.

“The report did not acknowledge the several cases of Christian judges denied promotions on religious grounds by states and the notorious case of the Christian Chief Justice forced out and replaced by a Sharia judge by the Federal government in clear religious discrimination itself. It merely stated “The Nigerian government failed to effectively improve justice and security for its citizens, and was unsuccessful in addressing the immense need for accountability and reconciliation around past conflict.” The government actually incited disunity and religious tension and discord by its actions.

“The report failed to acknowledge the negative impact of sharia on Christians such as destruction of alcohol and arrests by the religious police, restrictions on public transportation etc. It merely stated thus, “This report and others revealed ongoing social and institutional bias against religious minorities such as Shi’a and societal taboos against atheism and humanism.”

“In discounting the horrific atrocities of the jihadi Fulani killer herdsman, the report reiterated a discredited narrative of “resource conflict” instead of “religious conquest.” “Intercommunal conflict continues to affect many states, in particular rural areas, and is related to competition over land and water resources, the expansion of farming, growth in population, the spread of small arms, religious and historical grievances, and citizenship policies. As ethnic and religious identity are closely intertwined, conflict between two ethnic groups can sometimes be framed as being between religious groups or can lead to reprisals that target individuals based on their religion.” The fact is not conflict between two ethnic groups but rather specifically Muslim herdsmen in one Ethnic group the Fulani are in conflict with over 200 ethnic groups across half of Nigeria’s states by invading, targeting and killing predominantly Christians in their homes.

“The report did not acknowledge the prominent cases of two Christians unjustly detained by the authorities over conversion to Christianity in Lagos and over alleged conversion of children in Kano. Rather it solely reported thus “In 2019, the Nigerian federal government continued to detain the leader of the IMN, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky, despite a 2016 court order demanding his release.”

“The report minimized the impact of terrorism on Christians stating Boko Haram “were responsible for attacks against houses of worship, civilians, and military targets. The group again targeted members of the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), abducting EYN members and destroying an EYN church in March. Media reported incidents of suspected Boko Haram members attacking mosques in Maiduguri, including in February and June.” The clear impression given is that only church and one denomination was attacked but that numerous mosques were attacked. USCIRF has never reported that the EYN church is a US-affiliated denomination has lost over 10,000 members to Boko Haram – the highest martyrdom of any church in the world today.

“Worse still, no single attack by Muslims on churches was reported. All incidents cited conveniently named “Christians” attacking mosques and even Biafra separatists attacking a church but not Muslim attacks on churches. “Armed groups and mobs also attacked churches and mosques throughout the country. In June, officials arrested three suspects for attempting to burn the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kaduna. In September, a group of Christian youths reportedly attacked a mosque in Delta State out of anger over its construction. In October, a gang was accused of attacking a mosque and injuring some members. In Anambra State in May, media reported that members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) – a group seeking Biafran independence – attacked five Christians, including a priest, for holding a mass in defiance of IPOB orders to stay at home.” The attempted attack on a church was conveniently by “suspects” but the attack on the mosque was by “Christian youths”. In addition a mystery mosque attack with injuries was cited without a location. No mention was made of attempts to demolish a church by Kaduna state government.

“The report mentioned “programming funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) focused on managing conflict between farmers and herders. U.S. officials consistently engaged with the Nigerian government and civil society on religious freedom issues.”

“On the whole, the minority report was much more forthright than the main report and we shall provide additional facts so the State Department will designate Nigeria this year as a top religious freedom violator with the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation. We align ourselves with the minority report of COMMISSIONERS GARY L. BAUER AND JOHNNIE MOORE that the USCIRF report “under-emphasizes the systematic, ongoing and egregious attacks against the Christian communities in the north and central parts of Nigeria....

“Finally, it is our conviction that Boko Haram, and those tribesmen inspired by them, intend on ethnically cleansing Nigeria of any Christian it cannot subjugate while threatening everyone that stands in their way, whatever their religion or ethnicity.”

“The systematic, ongoing, egregious killings and ethnic and religious cleansing of Christians in Nigeria were not reflected in the full two-page USCIRF report but were succinctly and aptly captured in the two paragraphs of the minority report.”