A leading Nigerian human rights organisation has published a report claiming that largely Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed about 700 Christians in May as “farewell gifts” to former president Muhammadu Buhari. Source: Crux.
Mr Buhari handed over power to new President Bola Tinubu on May 29, but the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law said in a June 12 report that Fulani herdsmen had killed hundreds of Christians as a way of bidding farewell to a president accused of using his 2015-2023 tenure to foster an anti-Christian, pro-Muslim agenda in Africa’s most populous state.
“The Nigerian radical Islamic leaders who marked the end of their civilian office tenures on May 29, 2023, were wished ‘farewell’ by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen, who marked the end of their office tenures by slaughtering not less than 700 defenceless Christians in May 2023 (month of handover),” states the report, compiled by Emeka Umeagbalasi, a Catholic human rights activist and chairman of the organisation.
The report offers details of alleged Christian killings in several states, noting that “Plateau [state] ‘donated’ 350 Christian lives, Benue 190, Kaduna 100, Nasarawa 62, Niger 50, Taraba 40, Borno/Yobe 40, etc.”
“Not less than 1100 defenceless Christians were hacked to death by Nigerian Government-backed Islamic Jihadists in the past 60 days, between April 12 and June 12, 2023,” the report claims, noting that total works out to “a daily average of 17 Christian deaths”.
The report also asserts that 2150 Christians “have been slaughtered by non-state actors/Nigerian Government-backed Islamic Jihadists in the past 160 days, January 1 to June 12, 2023. Over 1400 others were abducted, out of which 10 per cent, or 140, may be incapable of returning to their families alive.”
The report claims that 100 churches were razed or destroyed by Islamic Jihadists in the past 60 days, between April 12 and June 12, with 20 pastors attacked.
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Report claims 700 Christians killed as ‘farewell gift’ to Nigeria’s ex-president (By Ngala Killian Chimtom, Crux)
