Brandon Scott
A boy holds a sign in Kaduna, Nigeria, March 8, 2024, protesting current conditions in the country. Recent kidnappings of hundreds of people, including almost 300 schoolchildren March 7 in Kuriga in the central part of Nigeria, have left church leaders and parents, including Catholics, speechless as kidnappings become a horrific new normal. Photo: OSV News/Reuters The newly-formed Irish Government ought to do more for beleaguered Nigerian Christians who are routinely persecuted for their Faith, say Nigerian priests living in Ireland after a recently published report, The World Watch List, revealed that Nigeria is the country that has seen the highest rates of Christians being kidnapped or killed because of their Faith in 2024.
Fr Peter Johnson PhD, a Nigerian priest ministering in Mount Merrion, Dublin, said he expects “a stronger role” and not “political gimmicks” from the Irish Government.
“Christians in Nigeria are the most persecuted in contemporary times,” he said. “The persecution ranges from physical assault, deprivation, to daily intimidation. The persecution is systemic as there is a constant drive to promote Islamic dominance in both politics and social lives.
“Sadly enough, the cry of Christians to the international community gets shrouded in political gimmicks. Given the paternity of the Irish Church and nation over the Christian faith in Nigeria, one expects a stronger role in the plight of Christians than is currently being experienced at the moment.”
Fr Louis Illah, a priest based in Longwood, Co. Meath called on the new Irish Government and TDs to raise instances of Christian persecution in the country to remind the Nigerian government of their obligations to protect all.
“It is an established fact that for many years Christians in Nigeria have gone through a series of challenges and difficulties – that’s a fact,” he said.
“Up north we have had issues with terrorist groups, the most prominent is Boko Haram. We’ve had sadly people in government, particularly those who are not Christian, not creating the right environment for people of different faiths to practise their faith freely.
“I think it’s time for Ireland to prioritise the issue. The United States have been very, very upfront in reminding the Nigerian government that there is a need for them to create the right environment for religious tolerance. I think the Irish Government and especially the different TDs, need to do this as well.
“Given what the Irish Government has been known for all over the world, I feel the next formation of Government in Ireland needs to continue to keep this issue in mind,” he said.