Press Release, 12 November 2018

WHO WILL PROTECT NIGERIA’S NORTHERN CHRISTIANS?

Today, Baroness Cox has returned from a fact-finding mission to Nigeria, where thousands of Christians have reportedly been killed in escalating attacks led by Fulani militia. She visited the Anguldi Refugee Camp in Jos, Plateau State, which provides shelter to 2,600 IDPs, and spoke to a number of survivors. Extracts of their testimonies are recorded below.

The scale of suffering:

• The Christian Association of Nigeria estimates that, between January and June this year, around 6,000 people have been killed by Fulani militia.
• The Global Terrorism Index in 2016 and 2017 named Fulani militants as the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world, with only Boko Haram, ISIS and al-Shabab being accounted deadlier.
• There are almost two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria. The vast majority have been displaced by the insurgencies of Boko Haram and Fulani militia.

Survivor testimonies:

“They shot Sarah’s husband and children and so she begged them to kill her too, but they refused, saying that they wanted her to cry and bear the pain.” An account by Deaconess Susan Essam in Jos

“My sister was raped and her wrists cut off before she was shot through the heart. They took my brother, his wife and all their six children, tied and slaughtered them like animals.” Margaret, Ngar village

“They were hacking and killing people, making sure that those that were shot were finished off…They wore red to conceal blood splashes on their clothes as they butchered their victims.” Lydia, Ningon village

“I called my brother but there was no reply. The next morning I found out that he, his wife and four others were shot, butchered and burnt.” Helen, Gana-Ropp

“They were going from house to house, looting and taking away anything they found valuable and then setting the houses on fire.” Helen, Ex-Land village

Baroness Cox said:

“The UK Government and mainstream media have characterised these attacks as ‘ethnic riots’ or ‘tit-for-tat tribal clashes between farmers and herders’. While the causes of violence are complex, the asymmetry and escalation of attacks by well-armed Fulani upon predominately Christian communities is stark and must be acknowledged. We must not ignore their suffering any longer.”

caroline.cox@hart-uk.org
020 8205 4608

WARNING: The Nigeria Visit Report available below contains graphic images