February 2024 Persecution Magazine

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“I used to think I would hide and die in one corner of my house. I was relegated to a dark corner, laying there and waiting for death to come snatch me with its cold arms, and that would be the death of me.” - Saendo NIGERIA’S UNENDING TURMOIL Over the past five years, Nigeria’s Benue state has suffered gruesome attacks by Fulani militants, forcing approximately 1.5 million people from their ancestral lands into IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camps. Saendo is one of 2,000 children residing at the Abagena IDP Camp in Benue State, which population exceeds 10,000 IDPs. His family was forced to flee their home after Fulani militants invaded his home. Nigeria, a nation torn by decades of violence, faces the harrowing reality of constant turmoil. The central Middle Belt region, where these clashes over resources, ethnic differences, and religious disparities prevail, embodies the epicenter of this unending turmoil. For Christians, it’s a daily struggle for survival amid disproportionate killings and kidnappings, transforming their homeland into a perilous landscape – and often leaving survivors with no place to call home. The ones spearheading these attacks, the Fulani militants, have become radicalized by extreme Islam, to wipe out Christianity from the region and establish an Islamic caliphate. Members of the group are ruthless and uncompromising, killing tens of thousands of Christians and leaving more than three million homeless over the last 20 years. NURTURING HEARTS AND MINDS Many of the displaced were previously farmers. But years in the camp with no land or opportunities have forced these people into lives of obscurity. It’s common for women to go into town to trade sex for a meal to bring home. Crime runs rampant, especially in the camp where Saendo lives. School-aged children wander the streets begging for food. “Currently, the rate of education is very low, considering that when the children wake up in the morning, they are looking for work, food to eat, water to drink, and to find firewood,” said Daniel*, an ICC staff member. Two years ago, ICC equipped volunteers to travel to these camps, which led to ICC opening a Hope House for kids who called the IDP camp home. For the first time in many of these children’s lives, they had the opportunity for something more. ICC provided basic school supplies, such as whiteboards, markers, books, and lesson materials, as well as food and water. “Hungry children whose parents can’t afford proper meals can now eat good food every week,” said one of the volunteers. “Children who have never been to school have been given the chance to be educated, which has given them a sense of belonging. Older women who were not opportune to be educated have been given a second chance as four have become dedicated pupils.” 24 <strong>Persecution</strong> | FEBRUARY <strong>2024</strong>
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February 2024 Persecution Magazine

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