Dozens of Christians Slaughtered Christmas Day in Nigeria — and the Horror Doesn’t Finish There

Greater than a dozen Christians had been reportedly killed by armed males on Dec. 22 after a Christmas carol service in Nigeria.

The horrific occasion — aimed on the predominately Christian Irigwe tribe — came about on the Evangelical Church Profitable All (ECWA), 22 miles from the Nigerian metropolis of Jos.

Tragically, a 1-year-old child named Sheba Ernest and a pregnant lady had been among the many 14 slain, in keeping with persecution watchdog Worldwide Christian Concern (ICC).

Hearken to the most recent episode of “Fast Begin”

Whole households had been killed, resulting in a mass burial to honor these whose lives had been so callously snuffed out.

A lot of the chaos within the area has come by the hands of Islamic Fulani extremists, in keeping with ICC. Fulani herdsmen are members of a predominately Muslim group recognized to focus on Christians.

In a separate incident, preliminary reviews indicated 11 individuals had been slaughtered by armed Islamic militants who focused Christian communities all through Kwande County, Benue state throughout Christmas Day assaults.

“The most important assault occurred throughout church providers in Turan, a predominantly Catholic Tiv group close to the borders of Taraba state and Cameroon,” ICC reported. “Unidentified Islamic militants launched extra shock assaults, leaving many individuals injured and forcing many others to evacuate their properties. Quite a few properties had been broken as effectively.”

However an up to date report by Morning Star Information mentioned the variety of people killed Christmas Day swelled to 33, with the outlet blaming Fulani herdsmen for the assaults.

“The brutal assault by Fulani herdsmen terrorists has left the group in shock and mourning,” Udeti Gira, a resident, informed Christian Each day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “The individuals of Kwande are nonetheless ready for a decisive response from the federal government to handle the escalating insecurity within the space.”

As CBN Information beforehand reported, the scenario in Nigeria stays harmful for Christians. Total, greater than 16,000 Christians had been reportedly killed in Nigeria between 2019 and 2023 based mostly on knowledge by the Observatory for Non secular Freedom in Africa.

Muslims reportedly burned down a Christian church Aug. 10 in one more assault on believers that underscores the intense nature of percolating persecution contained in the African nation.

Affiliate Pastor Samson Ogbebor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) informed Christian Each day Worldwide-Morning Star Information he obtained information the church was in flames round 3 a.m.

It’s tragically the second time the home of worship, situated within the city of Kontagora in Nigeria’s Niger state, has been destroyed. It was an act the Rev. Bulus Dauda Yohanna, chairman of the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State Chapter, known as “barbaric and unwarranted” and “painful.”

In April, the Rev. Manasseh Ibrahim was reportedly killed as he traveled to supply ministry to church members, in keeping with sources who spoke to Christian Each day Worldwide-Morning Star Information.

And in November 2023, Oluwakemi Moses, the spouse of a Nigerian pastor, was murdered by terrorists as she traveled dwelling along with her 2-month-old child.

Tragically, it doesn’t finish there. The Rev. Charles Onomhoale Igechi, a Catholic priest who was vice principal of St. Michael Faculty, Ikhueniro, was slaughtered final yr, whereas driving by way of Benin, Edo, in Nigeria. These occasions aren’t new, although worldwide consideration is continuous to develop.

Violence in Nigeria broke by way of the worldwide information cycle in Could 2022, when Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a 25-year-old Christian faculty scholar, was stoned to demise by a Muslim mob.

The killing of Yakubu, a Shehu Shagari Faculty of Schooling scholar in Sokoto, Nigeria, was purportedly filmed and shared on social media, horrifying the worldwide group.

Persecution trackers have extensively documented the severity of the difficulty. Open Doorways’ World Watch Listing 2024 positioned Nigeria within the sixth spot in its rankings of countries the place anti-Christian persecution and discrimination are the worst.

A line from a press launch saying the outcomes learn, “Greater than 82% of Christians killed throughout the globe for religion causes had been in Nigeria.”

And Jeff King, president of Worldwide Christian Concern (ICC) and one of many world’s most educated consultants on spiritual freedom and persecution, informed CBN Information final yr his group’s “2023 Persecutors of the Yr” report additionally reveals the complete scope of the issue.

“Most People do not know what’s occurring in Nigeria, however think about this: for the final 20 years, most likely as much as about 100,000 Christians have been murdered,” King mentioned. “Three-and-a-half million Christians, their lands have been taken from them, and the federal government’s just about completed nothing.”

Along with killings and violence, social pressures are additionally intense. ADF Worldwide sounded the alarm earlier this yr over two Nigerian universities — one federal and one state — which have reportedly barred Christian college students from “having the ability to use any services for worship [or] fellowship.”