More than 70 Nigerian Christians have been killed and 20 other Christian medical students abducted in Nigeria. The two incidents took in separate violent attacks in Benue State in southeastern Nigeria in recent weeks.
The attacks have renewed calls from religious freedom advocates for the U.S. Department of State (DOS) to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” placing it on a watch list of countries responsible for serious violations of religious freedom.
Nigerian newspaper The Sun reported that a group of herdsmen, with the help of local bandits, attacked the predominantly Christian village of Ayati in Ukum Local Government Area, killing at least 74 people on 8 August.
In recent years, Christian areas in the region have been hit by attacks by herdsmen belonging to the predominantly Muslim Fulani ethnic group, as well as by Islamist insurgencies, such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province. More than 50,000 Christians have been killed in the past 15 years, including dozens of Catholic priests.
According to The Sun, the herders paid the bandits to access the land to graze cattle. After the Christian villagers forced them to leave, the herders reportedly returned to the village to carry out the massacre. The article notes that the community is still searching for the missing people and that the death toll may be higher than currently reported.
In another incident on 15 August, at least 20 students of the Nigerian Medical Association were abducted in Benue State while travelling to a conference organised by the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students in Enugu.
Benjamin Egbo, secretary general of the Nigerian Medical Association, sent a letter to the country’s police, urging them to take steps to “locate and rescue the abducted students.”
“Given the urgency of this matter and the potential risks to the lives of these young students, we implore your officers to deploy all necessary resources to ensure their immediate and safe return,” Egbo said. “[We are] deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of these future medical professionals, and believe that prompt and decisive action by the Nigeria Police Force is crucial at this time.”
Nathan Berkeley, spokesman for the Religious Freedom Institute, told CNA that Nigeria is “ the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian,” according to many observers. He pointed to violence by bandits and herdsmen along with Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.
“The numbers from Nigeria in recent years are staggering,” Berkeley said. “In 2022, more than 5,000 Christians were killed and more than 3,000 kidnapped. In 2023, up to 8,000 Nigerian Christians were killed. Nigerian Christians are also routinely targeted for harassment and intimidation, including having their land stolen to force them to leave the region.”
Despite these figures, Berkeley added, “the U.S. government has refused to name Nigeria as a country of particular concern for religious freedom.”
Shortly before news of the most recent attacks against Christians became public, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) renewed its call for the State Department to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for systematic and ongoing violations of religious freedom.