A woman carries a child through a camp in the state of Benue, Nigeria - two priests and 17 parishioners of St. Ignatius Catholic Church in the state were killed there in 2018. Photo: CNS A new study has estimated that 3,462 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in the first 200 days of 2021.
This works out as 17 Christian murders every day in Africa’s most populous country.
The study was conducted by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which is based in Onitsha in Eastern Nigeria.
It found that the figure included 10 priests and pastors who were murdered between January 1 and July 18.
It also revealed that the number of Churches threatened, attacked, closed, destroyed or burnt since January 2021 is estimated to be around 300.
Abducted
The total number of abducted Christians since January is estimated to be around 3000, with three in every 30 of those kidnapped expected to have died in captivity, “thereby indicating additional secret death in jihadists’ captivity of 300 Christians”.
The report also estimates an additional 150 “dark deaths” or deaths that occurred without being reported or recorded.
“The number of defenseless Christians hacked to death by Nigeria’s Islamic jihadists and their collaborators in the security forces in the past 200 days…has risen to no fewer than 3,462 and this is just 68 deaths less than the total deaths of Nigerian Christians in 2020, which the Open Doors’ World Watch List of Persecuted Christians put at 3,530,” Intersociety said.
The study said that this is the second highest since 2014, which saw more than 5,000 Christian deaths, reportedly committed by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen.
The report noted that it is “deeply saddening” that those responsible for the attacks continue to avoid justice, which results in a feeling of “impunity” and sees “repeat atrocities”.
According to the organisation, surviving victims and families of murder victims have been abandoned by the Nigerian government.