The Parish Magazine July and August 2021

the parish noticeboard — 5
The Persecuted Church
Christians in Nigeria are often
targeted for abduction, whether by
Islamist militants or by bandits.
Eight Christians were abducted
from a church minibus in March,
and in April one Christian was killed
and four abducted on the Kaduna-
Kachia road. Kaduna State is in the
Middle Belt of Nigeria, where at least
240 Christians have been killed in
Islamist attacks since the beginning
of July 2020.1
The eight Christians abducted in
March were subsequently released.
They had been travelling for an
evangelistic mission.2
A further eight Christians were
killed in an attack by armed bandits,
again in Kaduna State, on 19 May.
The attackers also burned down a
church building and several homes.3
Later in May, in Katsina State,
a church minister was killed and
another was abducted by gunmen in
a targeted attack on a church.4
The United States Commission
on International Religious Freedom
(USCIRF) produced a study in
February 2019 which found that
some Nigerians consider current
religious divides in the country to be
'the worst they have ever been.'5
The USICRF’s website state their
mission is to 'advance international
freedom of religion or belief, by
independently assessing and
unflinchingly confronting threats to
this fundamental right.'
They list Nigeria as a 'country of
particular concern (CPC)' and point
out in their most recent annual
report that religious freedom
conditions in the country have
deteriorated.
To quote from their key findings,
'Despite Nigeria’s constitution
protecting freedom of religion
and belief, Nigerian citizens faced
violence by militant Islamists and
other nonstate armed actors, as
well as discrimination, arbitrary
detentions, and capital blasphemy
sentences by state authorities.'
They report how elements from
Boko Haram and from the Islamic
The Parish Magazine - July/August 2021 13
A round-up of news items, features, and links by Colin Bailey. Please read for
awareness, and support by prayer and any further support — financial or otherwise.
Nigerian risk of genocide say UK parliamentarians
THE WORST SEEN
Worshippers inside a Nigerian Church
State in West Africa Province
(ISWAP) abducted and executed
several individuals based on their
religious beliefs.
Nigeria is, according to their
data, estimated as 53.5% identifying
as Muslim and 45.9% identifying as
Christian.
One of the commissioners has
said in the report that 'the status quo
is unsustainable', with the 'perilous
situation…now spreading more and
more to other countries'.
The commissioner described the
the situation as a 'tinderbox' and said
that 'the world must do more.'5
According to the data company,
statista.com, Nigeria ranks number
dreamstime.com
six in the world at risk for genocide,
while 'the risk percentage of mass
killing stands at 7.3%, about seven
times higher than the global average.' 6
UK REPORT
Last year, a report by the All Party
Parliamentary Group on Freedom
of Religion and Belief, Nigeria:
Unfolding Genocide? was published.
It was the result of an investigation
by 100 UK parliamentarians from
a wide range of political parties.
The report warned of the risk of an
unfolding genocide and called for UK
aid to be linked to efforts to protect
Nigerian villagers from attacks by
Islamist extremists.7
Sources and further reading
1 Barnabas Fund https://barnabasfund.org/news/one-christian-killed-fourinjured-and-four-abducted-in-kaduna-nigeria/
2 Barnabas Fund https://barnabasfund.org/news/eight-nigerian-christiansreleased-after-abduction-from-church-minibus-i/
3 Barnabas Fund https://barnabasfund.org/news/eight-killed-in-attack-whichleft-church-destroyed-in-kaduna-nigeria/
4 Barnabas Fund https://barnabasfund.org/news/church-minister-killedanother-abducted-in-attack-on-northern-nigerian-c/
5 USCIRF website https://www.uscirf.gov
6 Statista.com https://www.statista.com/statistics/1203253/risk-of-genocide-innigeria/
7 Anglican Ink https://anglican.ink/2020/06/16/parliamentary-report-warns-ofunfolding-genocide-in-nigeria-against-christians/