Lagos, Nigeria – President Bola Tinubu and state governors have faced criticism for failing to address the “egregious violence” directed towards Christian worshippers in Nigeria, according to the 2024 annual report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
The report, covering events in 2023, highlights the challenge faced by the Nigerian government in identifying the perpetrators and motivations behind violent attacks on Christian communities. The USCIRF report emphasized that both federal and state authorities in Nigeria seemed to tolerate criminal activities and violence by armed groups, leading to a negative impact on religious freedom.
States such as Borno, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Adamawa, and Benue were identified in the report as the most affected by violence in 2023. For example, the report cited data from a Nigerian non-governmental organization, Intersociety, which reported 8,222 Christian deaths in Nigeria due to attacks by violent insurgent groups, armed gangs, and even Nigerian government forces.
In Benue state, extremists were responsible for killing 414 individuals from predominantly Christian communities, while also causing harm to and abducting many others. The report also highlighted a series of violent attacks in three northeastern states from May to June, resulting in the deaths of 450 Christians.
The USCIRF report described various incidents of violence targeting Christians in different states, including the killing of a priest and a seminarian in Kaduna State, as well as a significant massacre in Plateau State where over 190 people were killed, including a Baptist minister and his family. The report also raised concerns about the lack of government accountability and the alleged collusion between armed groups and government forces in perpetrating violence.
Overall, religious freedom conditions in Nigeria were deemed extremely poor in 2023, with attacks on faith-based organizations and worshippers going unchecked. The report criticized the slow response of Nigerian government officials to prevent and address attacks, particularly those carried out by violent insurgent groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State in West Africa, and Fulani gangs working in collaboration with attackers.