Crushed but not defeated

6 Conclusions 36
This chapter gives conclusions, scenarios and
general recommendations for the church in
Northern Nigeria.
6.1 Context of the Church in Northern Nigeria
Christianity has grown in Northern Nigeria from nonexistent
in 1857 to an estimated more than 30 million
(31.2 per cent) now. This is a minority in a Muslim context,
but a sizeable one. There are high concentrations of
Christians in seven Northern states. In six Northern States
Christians are in the majority. Christian existence in
Northern Nigeria is under threat through persistent violence.
Perpetrators of persistent violence against the church
in Northern Nigeria are the Northern Muslim political
and religious elite, radical Islamic groups and Fulani
herdsmen. They operate within an existing culture of
violence through religious, political and territorial issues.
The interests at stake can be summarized as:
(a) protection of Northern Muslim threatened interests
(political - economic)
(b) protection of Muslim’s threatened identity
(social-cultural)
(c) protection of Islam’s threatened ‘legitimate’ position
as the dominant religion (religious).
6.2 Impact on the Church
For several reasons, Muslim perpetrators have persistently
and violently targeted Christians in Northern Nigeria:
they are the largest minority, there has been exponential
church growth, the ethnic composition of Christian
communities, and association with the West. Christians
have also been targeted because of the protection of the
above-mentioned interests. They have been the targets
of politically motivated communal clashes, the 2011
post-electoral riots, the Boko Haram insurgency, Fulani
herdsmen attacks, marginalization and discrimination
through forced Islamization, Sharia state governments
and Muslim society as a whole.
Persistent violence in Northern Nigeria is much larger
and has more causes than commonly perceived. And the
negative impact of persistent violence on the Church in
Northern Nigeria is also more profound than many think.
Between 2006 and 2014, an estimated 11,500 Christians
have been killed. Between 2000 and 2014, up to 1.3
million Christians have been displaced and 13,000
churches have been destroyed or abandoned. The most
affected communities are in the predominantly Muslim
Far North where Christian communities have seen a
decrease of over sixty per cent. Christians mainly relocate
to the predominantly Christian Middle Belt (e.g. Plateau
+75.6 per cent, Nassarawa +44 per cent, Benue +40
per cent and Taraba +30.4 per cent). At the same time
Christian communities in the Middle Belt rural sub-region
are the most vulnerable to Muslim herdsmen attacks (e.g.
the same Benue, Nassarawa, Plateau and Taraba).
In the same eight year period, church life declined
substantially and dramatically in violence prone areas.
Christian attitudes towards Muslims deteriorated due to
their experiences of marginalization, discrimination and
violence by Muslims. Christian behaviour toward Muslims
changed for the worse due to fear of violence and
mistreatment by Muslims. The result is much
more distrust, antagonism and segregation.
The Christian faith however has remained strong.
Although many church congregations have seen a decline
in membership and attendance, those Christians that
stay show an increased commitment to their faith and
church. Participation in church activities, such as prayer,
participation in prayer groups, study meetings and fasting
has increased. Many experience God’s rescue, protection
and presence and persevere despite personal loss
and trauma.
Christian communities in the hardest hit areas that
remain are small (e.g. Tudun Wada Dankadai, Kano state),
traumatized (e.g. southern Yobe) and inclined to resort
to vigilante groups for self-defense (e.g. Tafawa Balewa,
Bauchi state). Christian communities that receive fleeing