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From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, (Intersociety), has raised the alarm that 350 Christians have been killed within 18 days by suspected Fulani herdsmen, bandits and military in some communities in Plateau, Imo and other states.
The group stated that killings against Christians were executed between June 12 and 30, 2023 where 120 were recorded in Plateau, 100 in Imo and 130 in other places across Nigeria by suspected herdsmen and bandits and security operatives.
The Chairman of Intersociety Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi in a statement said that 2,500 Christians saughtered by Fulani herdsmen and allied others in the first six months of 2023.
According to him “Joining the list of anti Christian butchers are jihadist elements within the Nigerian military and police and their commanders in Eastern Nigeria. They accounted for 30% of the killings by killing not less than 100 unarmed and defenseless Judeo-Christian-traditionalist Easterners particularly in Imo State within the space of last forty days or 21st May to 30th June 2023. Within the same last eighteen days of June 2023, Boko Haram and ISWAP had a fraction of the killer-entities’ responsibilities with at least 20 Christian deaths in Borno State particularly in Christian areas of the Southern Borno including Damboa and Chibok Local Government Areas.
“On the situation of Nigerian Christians, it is deeply disheartening and shocking to note that the genocidal footprints (State Jihadism Project) of the out-gone central Government of Retired Major General Muhammad Buhari (29th May 2015-29th May 2023) have continued to hunt down Christians and non Muslim others including their ancestral lands, dwelling houses, places of worship and learning and other properties belonging to them.
“Our general review has shown that the grisly and State protected and conspiratorial Jihadist attacks have left 31,700 defenseless Christians dead between June 2015 and June 2023 and 53,750 hacked to death since the 2009 Boko Haram uprising. It was also found that no fewer than 18,200 churches, 1000 traditional religious sanctuaries and 800 Synagogues/related others and 2,200 Christian schools have been burned down or wantonly destroyed-with 1100 Christian communities uprooted, 50m Christians forced out of their ancestral homes and lands into displacement and homelessness.
” Hundreds of thousands of Christians have been forcefully converted to Islam while tens of thousands of non-menopausal Christian women have become victims of rape or sexual abuse or enslavement. Not less than 15m Christian IDPs/Refugees have been generated and forced into internal or regional/international border homelessness-with Benue State being the worst hit accounting for at least 2.5m Christian IDPs” Umeagbalasi stated.
