by Emily Thompson, Activist Post:
At a time when many around the world celebrated Christmas, yet another tragic event unfolded in Nigeria. Over 140 Christians were murdered, a loss of life largely unnoticed by the global community. According to human rights organization Amnesty International, armed bandits attacked around 20 communities in central Nigeria, murdering dozens in each area. Due to the difficulty in obtaining accurate statistics in the country, some reports suggest the death toll may be closer to 200.
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This horrific violence occurred along a notional divide between the predominantly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south of Nigeria’s Plateau State. Christians, who make up about 46% of Nigeria’s population, were the primary victims of this attack and this is not the first time they have been targeted.
This tragedy comes after another set of attacks earlier in December when the Nigerian military launched an air strike on a religious gathering at Tudun Biri – a village near Kaduna northern Nigeria. A second air strike was launched around 30 minutes later, killing dozens, including those who rushed to the scene to rescue victims of the initial strike.
The Nigerian military has since put out two contradictory explanations. An initial statement by the Nigerian army in Kaduna said the air strike was a mistake. This was followed by a statement from Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters claiming that suspected bandits had embedded with civilians.
Amnesty International notes on its website that in 2022,
“Thousands of civilians were killed, injured or displaced by the armed conflict between the armed groups Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West African Province (ISWAP) and the Nigerian military in north-eastern Nigeria. All parties to the conflict committed violations of international law, including war crimes, with impunity. Elsewhere, unlawful killings and violence were perpetrated by bandits and the authorities responded with enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detention, and severe restrictions to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly. Media outlets and journalists had their freedom of expression curtailed by the authorities. Activists and protesters faced restrictions on their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. More than 60,000 people were forcibly evicted from their homes. Failure to protect people from the effects of climate change led to deaths and displacement.”
According to Amnesty, “The Nigerian military has consistently failed to thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently and effectively investigate these incidents.”
Unfortunately, the international community has again failed to pay attention to the ongoing tragedy in Nigeria. Christians are being slaughtered, but no one seems to care.
