The Nigerian army has had some success subduing Islamist group Boko Haram, but Christians are still being killed in Nigeria. Many of the killings are carried out by nomadic Hausa-Fulani herdsmen, a largely Muslim ethnic group that frequently targets the more settled Christian farming communities of central Nigeria. Meanwhile, 12 of Nigeria’s northern states employ Sharia (Islamic law), and Christians in these states face discrimination and restrictions in accessing community resources, such as clean water, health clinics, and higher education.
Nigeria ‘at war’ with Boko Haram
Goodluck Jonathan pictured at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January.Jolanda Flubacher, WEC / Flickr / Creative Commons The Nigerian President’s spokesman has said that the conflict with Boko Haram is a “war situation”. Speaking to Lagos-based Channels TV on Feb. 28, Doyin Okupe […]
Dozens dead as violence continues in central Nigeria
Tribal attacks have claimed many lives in central Nigeria in recent months. In November, around 40 members of the Berom community were killed and buried in mass graves.World Watch Monitor At least 43 people have died in two separate attacks as sectarian violence continues in central Nigeria’s Plateau state. […]
Boko Haram kills dozens of boys in school raid
Islamic militants stormed a Nigerian secondary school campus early this morning (Feb. 25), locked a boys’ dormitory and set it on fire, killing those who tried to flee and burning the rest alive. News accounts report that suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least 43 young men during the pre-dawn […]
No protection for Christian village during deadly attack
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Nigeria’s worst affected northern states in May 2013, deploying the army to the region, but without significant impact.Commonwealth Secretariat / Flickr / Creative Commons In the days before a vicious wave of attacks on Feb. 15 that killed hundreds in […]
Nigeria’s deadly winter
Attackers stormed this Catholic church during mass, blocked the main door, detonated homemade bombs, and opened fire.Twitter / @ChristianPost The new year has begun in exceptionally violent fashion in north-eastern Nigeria, prompting Christian organisations to renew their pleas for better government security. Boko Haram, the militant group that wants […]
Pastor killed, church torched in Nigeria
The charred remains of Evangelical Church Winning All in Kankia.World Watch Monitor A pastor has been killed and a church set on fire in Nigeria after the body of a six-year-old girl was discovered near his home. Dike Ocha, 50, pastor of the Assemblies of God Church in Kankia, […]
Nigerian worshippers killed during mass
World Watch Monitor is curating news coverage of the attacks on Sunday in north-eastern Nigeria. At least 22 worshippers died at a church in Yola, while 300 homes were burnt down in a village in neighbouring Borno state and at least 52 people were killed. Boko Haram is suspected of carrying […]
30 killed in Plateau State violence
Around 30 people were killed and 25 others injured on Jan. 7 during an attack in Plateau state, in central Nigeria. More than 40 houses were burnt down during the attack, which local media blamed on Fulani herdsmen. Much of the violence is blamed on land disputes between mainly Muslim […]
Dozens killed in fresh attacks in central Nigeria
Mass burials took place on Tuesday.World Watch Monitor About 40 people were killed in coordinated attacks on Monday night in four Christian-dominated villages in the central Nigerian State of Plateau. Local sources contacted by World Watch Monitor report that the assailants, believed to be members of the Fulani tribe, […]
Boko Haram targets Christian girls
Boko Haram is abducting Christian women, converting them to Islam on pain of death and then forcing them to marry its fighters, reports Reuters. Reuters tells the story of 19-year-old Christian Hajja, who was abducted by the Islamist group in July and was then forced to work as their slave. […]