An organization based in Nigeria has revealed that an estimated 43,000 Christians have been killed in the country on top of the 18,500 that were recorded to have disappeared in a span of 12 years.
The Christian Post said the killings and disappearances were caused by Islamic radicals in Nigeria who also attacked 17,500 churches in the same period. The details were released this week by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law in a report.
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), an organization headquartered in Eastern Nigeria's Onitsha that advocates democracy and good governance, highlighted in its report that "ten million" were "uprooted in the North, six million forced to flee, four million displaced, 29,000 Muslims killed and 2000 Christian schools lost."
"The total number of 'direct' Christian deaths since 2009 or from July 2009 to July 2021; a period of twelve years, is independently put at no fewer than 43,000. The figure arises from total jihadist killing of not less than 72,000 defenseless citizens. The killings had emanated from the propagation of radical Islamism in Nigeria or any part thereof," Intersociety said.
These killings followed "systematic and coordinated attacks majorly targeted at Christians" conducted by Jihadists who also "sparsely" target Muslims out of "punishments of those collaborating with 'unbelievers'."
The group also pointed out that the Jihadists also abduct Muslims out of "revenge" and those abducted, for whatever reason, are released unlike with Christians who are "most unlikely to return alive." Intersociety cited a particular case involving the girls from Chibok that totalled 276 last April 14-15, 2014. Of those abducted, there are 217 Christians from the Church of Brethren that were not released but instead were "forcefully converted to Islam and married off by the Jihadists."
The Intersociety clarified that besides the data on the 43,000 Christians killed from 2009-2021, they also "independently found" out that there are not less than 30 million Christians from Northern Nigeria who were threatened by the Jihadists and from which their data of 10 million uprooted Christians came from.
"Tens of thousands of Christians especially the educated and the rich from Northern Nigeria have become 'urban refugees', asylum seekers and refugees at international borders and foreign countries, so as to escape being hacked to death or decapitated by the Jihadists," Intersociety disclosed.
"'Indirect' deaths arising from the jihadist attacks in the country since July 2009 are in hundreds of thousands and Christians are the most affected including being the most brutally targeted and attacked," they explained. "The 'indirect' jihadist fatalities arose from the outlawed military and jihadist groups' bombings and killings arising from torture and custodial killings and enforced disappearances as well as other deaths caused by starvation, lack of adequate medical facilities and treatments, etc."
The report also includes a breakdown of the different atrocities committed by the Jihadists along with a breakdown of crimes committed by each type of Jihadist existing in Nigeria. Of notable mention are the Fulani Herdsmen whose attacks have "doubled" over the years, affirming data in earlier reports. Intersociety compared this against the crimes of the Boko Haram Jihadists that the Fulani Herdsmen has surpassed over the said time frame.
"The above statistical breakdown and analysis also indicated that Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen killings doubled from Jan 2010 to June 2015, a period of five and half years with 6,500 Christian deaths; to 12,500 Christian deaths from June 2015 to July/4th August 2021, a period of six years," Intersociety announced.
"Boko Haram Jihadists, on their part, killed more Christians (11,500 Christian deaths) from July 2009 to June 2015, a period of six years, than they (including ISWAP, Ansaru and others) have killed (7,000 Christians) from July 2015 to July/4th August 2021, a period of six years," they added.
