2022 To Be A Record Year For Violence Against Christians In Nigeria

Nigerian Christians are facing alarmingly surge in the wave of faith-based attacks and persecution. Based on available stats of attacks on Christians, BBC in a report said that 2022, is all set to be a record year in terms of Christian persecution in Nigeria.  Since the start of this year there have been sporadic incidents of attacks on Churches, Christians and their properties.

BBC in its report said that, “According to data collected by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), there have already been 23 separate attacks on church premises and people linked to them so far this year. For the whole of 2021 there were 31, and in 2020 there were 18.”

Remarking in this regard, The Voice of Martyrs Canada spokesman Greg Musselman  said, “We’re hearing stories [of persecution] weekly. There are so many things going on in Nigeria it is hard to keep track. But God sees it, and that’s why we need to partner with Him in praying and supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ.”

“The [source of] struggle and disappointment for church leaders, and a lot of anger is the government. [Leaders ask,] ‘Why are they not doing more?’” Musselman said, adding “We heard [about] one attack where the military knew it was going to happen, but they said, ‘Well, we didn’t get the orders from the higher-ups [to do anything].’ So, these Christians were massacred.”

Since the start of 2022, there has never been a pause in the targeted attacks on Christians and their properties. However, the anti-Christian hostility swells to an unprecedented level, a string of high profile cases are catching attention of persecution watchdogs. On Sunday, June 5, slaughter of Christians was recorded in different locations including the incident that gunmen stormed St. Andrews Catholic Church and killed dozens. As many as 40 worshippers were killed in a church in Ondo state in the south-west. On the same day, militants killed 32 Christians in four villages in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kaduna. Later,

Since the start of 2022, there has never been a pause in the targeted attacks on Christians and their properties. However, the anti-Christian hostility swells to an unprecedented level, a string of high profile cases are catching attention of persecution watchdogs. On Sunday, June 5, slaughter of Christians was recorded in different locations including the incident that gunmen stormed St. Andrews Catholic Church and killed dozens. As many as 40 worshippers were killed in a church in Ondo state in the south-west. On the same day, militants killed 32 Christians in four villages in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kaduna. Later, on the evening of Sunday, June 11, armed assailants kidnapped an Anglican bishop, his wife, and their driver.

ACLED relies on data collected by the local groups and media reports. It is believed that many incidents of Christian persecution may well go unrecorded. Furthermore, it’s difficult to find out exact number of people who died in targeted attacks against Christians.