International Christian Concern, a nonpartisan Christian organization, named Nigeria one of the most dangerous places for Christians in the world.
In its 2023 report on the world’s Christian persecutors, ICC said that extremists and militants have been killing and dispossessing Christians in the country for the past 20 years.
The group said Nigerian leaders have linked the attacks to farmer-to-farmer clashes involving ethnic conflicts. The ICC report, however, described the killings and other atrocities as “genocide against Christians.”
It said, in part, “Nigeria today is arguably the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. In the north, highly hostile Islamic extremist groups are attacking and devastating the Christian minority. In the Middle Belt, armed Islamic terrorists known as Fulani extremists have been murdering Christians and stealing their land for the last 20 years.
Between the mass killings and land grabbing, millions of Christians have been forced to flee their homes, with Boko Haram alone responsible for more than 38,000 deaths since May 2011.” Nigerian leaders tell the West that this is a complex tribal problem between pastoralists and farmers. But the truth is that we are witnessing a genocide of Christians in the northern and central belt, accompanied by enormous land grabbing.”
The ICC report also states that no fewer than 549 Christians were killed in 55 attacks in Nigeria between March and July 2023.
The report added: “Whether the world recognizes the plight of Nigerian Christians or not, the country has become a Christian burial ground.”
The report noted that sharia law in effect in 12 northern states endangers non-Muslims in those states.
Sharia law as applied in Nigeria today violates the principles of secularism and endangers non-Muslim religious communities in the North and Middle Belt region. Despite repeated claims to be a secular state, 12 states in northern Nigeria have adopted Islamic sharia law, and Christians do not participate as equal members of society. Sharia is inherently religious and therefore problematic, especially when applied to criminal Sharia law prosecutions.”
The group urged the United States to add Nigeria to its list of countries that seriously infringe on religious freedom.
Nigeria’s domestic security policy addresses the needs of particularly vulnerable religious communities by responding quickly to threats and ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.
Re-add Nigeria to the list of “Countries of Particular Concern” that was retained in 2020 before being inexplicably removed in 2021; USCIRF has recommended that Nigeria be placed on the list of countries of particular concern every year since 2009.
“Condition U.S. foreign assistance in Nigeria on substantive improvements over religious freedom, including the repeal of blasphemy laws and the revocation of the Sharia court’s authority over criminal matters.”
North Korea, India, Iran, China, Pakistan, Eritrea, Algeria, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan are other countries cited by the organization as oppressive toward Christians.
