CV NEWS FEED // A Washington, D.C., religious freedom watchdog organization recently designated Nigeria as the most deadly place in the world to be a Christian.
According to an emailed news release from International Christian Concern (ICC), at least 50,000 Christians have been killed in the African country in the past two decades. Hundreds of thousands of Christians have been displaced, and very little has been done to mitigate the persecution of Christians in the country.
The situation in Nigeria has risen to a head in recent months. As CatholicVote previously reported, humanitarian organization Global Christian Relief also recently designated Nigeria as the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian due to the continued attacks from Islamic terrorist groups.
Jeff King, president of ICC, condemned the ongoing persecution of Christians, calling the magnitude of it “almost beyond comprehension.”
“Every day, Islamic militants rob, assault, murder and rape countless Christians while the government wrings its hands,” he stated in the news release. “The toll is approaching what some would call genocide.”
According to ICC, jihadist group Boko Haram is one of the most violent groups responsible for the deaths of countless Christians in Nigeria. The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist organization is aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and also targets Christians. Local terrorist groups and Fulani militant herdsmen are quick to persecute Christians for small conflicts, such as lack of water resources.
“We are killed because we are Christians. Fulani are not attacking Muslim farmers in Plateau state, but Christians are attacked daily, and we don’t have guns to defend ourselves,” said one resident of Barkin Ladi County, where persecution is widespread, according to ICC.
“Seventeen people were killed in one week,” he added. “We are denied access to our farms and homes. We will die of hunger.”
Some of the most recent attacks include the murder of at least 22 Christians in early February and the abduction of two diocesan priests Feb. 22.
“Nigeria is the most deadly place in the world to be a Christian,” King said. “The U.S. and other nations must call the Nigerian government to account and appoint a special envoy to stop the mass murder of Christians, aided and abetted by Nigeria’s Islamist deep state.”
As CatholicVote previously reported, an international advocacy group recently submitted a petition to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asking the U.S. to formally recognize Nigeria as a country under siege by Islamic terrorists.