A Catholic human rights activist recently generated a report claiming that bandit attacks in Nigeria have killed 900 civilians. It was also discovered that the majority of the victims were Christians.
Catholic Human Rights Activist's Report
The diminished capabilities of the state and the decreased strength of law enforcement are to blame for the rise in criminal activity of gunmen and armed non-state organizations. The kidnapping of citizens to extract a ransom has recently seen a significant uptick in this nation: 1,484 persons were taken captive between January and March 2022. Based on an article from Council on Foreign Relations, there have been instances where security agencies have been suspected of working in conjunction with criminal organizations. Desertification, aggravated by increasing dryness due to climate change, appears to be a driving force behind attacks by herders on farming settlements. These attacks are also motivated by ethnoreligious tensions. It has been revealed that herders killed 2,539 people in as many as 654 separate attacks between 2017 and 2020. The rate of desertification in Nigeria is estimated to be as high as sixty percent of the country's territory.
Moreover, UCA News reported that Emeka Umeagbalasi, a Catholic human rights activist and chairman of the Intersociety organization, stated on Sunday, May 21, during the presentation of the report over a press conference that in just 29 months, from January 2021 to May 2023, "security forces and allied militias killed 900 unarmed citizens, wounded 700, arrested 3,500, extorted 1,400, and disappeared 300." The report also claimed that 1,200 civilian homes had been destroyed by fire, which displaced 30,000 owners and their families and the flight of 500,000 inhabitants. In addition, non-state actors such as Fulani jihadists and other militias carried out most of the deaths, which totaled 700, and the extra 900 kidnappings that took place over the same period.
According to the authors of the research, the vast majority of people who were murdered in Imo state and elsewhere in southeast Nigeria may have been attacked because of their Christian beliefs. Furthermore, Umeagbalasi asserted that individuals are killed because of their race and religion, and he blamed the Nigerian authorities for not investigating the killings too often. On the other hand, a Fulani jihadist organization carried out the most recent terrible mass massacre on Saturday, May 20, when parishioners of St. Michael's Agasha Parish in Father Ihyula's parish were attacked and slain while quietly working on their farms. The Catholic activist noted that the administration has resorted to "bribes" to "silence the voices of dissent" rather than defending the country's residents. He pointed out that many activists have been forced to "become government supporters." He also stated that debts had been taken for granted by the government to pay lobbyists and "cover up the persecution of Christians."
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Increasing Deaths of Christians in Nigeria
There is mounting evidence that Islamic extremist groups are starting to work with other groups to broaden the scope of the impact of their atrocities. According to Open Door UK, Nigeria appears to be contending with an influential trio; some would say a three-headed monster, as Boko Haram, ISWAP, Fulani militants, and so-called bandits are functioning in collaboration. However, it would indicate that the government is also aware of this. Millions of people have been forced to leave their homes due to increased violent crime. As mentioned, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) stated that more than 8.4 million people in Nigeria's northeastern area alone need humanitarian aid, and most of these people are dealing with a food shortage.
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