Page 8 - Voice of the Persecuted Christians - Apr-Jun 2023 - 122

the hundreds of attacks that have left many parts of southern Kaduna in ruins and killed thousands since 2014, we have not seen anyone arrested and brought to book.’
Release International’s partners
give warning that unless urgent and decisive action is taken to protect ordinary Nigerians many more could be forced to flee. They fear this could provoke a humanitarian crisis that would impact not only the region, but the rest of the world.
MAJOR CAMPAIGN
The worsening persecution of Christians in Nigeria is the major focus of Release International this spring.
Inspired by words from Archbishop Ben Kwashi, we are launching a campaign called Out of these Ashes, informing UK Christians of the scale and severity of the violence against our brothers and sisters in Nigeria.
We want to encourage people to pray for all those suffering for Christ in this significant country that has been described as the cornerstone of the continent
of Africa.
The campaign will be launched with a special online event on April 4.
If you would like to register and be part of that event, details are available on the Release International website.
The campaign will conclude with a speaker tour around the UK (see page 20), finishing with a special Day of the Christian Martyr event on June 29.
See page 12 See enclosed Prayer Shield
But from what Esther witnessed, the problem runs far deeper.
In her view, it is not simply that security forces failed to protect the villagers. Nor that they turned a blind eye to the slaughter.
Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, and according to the UN
is projected to overtake the US by around 2050 – trailing only China and India.
It is Esther’s conviction that soldiers actually joined in the attack, having reassured the villagers it was safe to remain.
It is hard to overestimate Nigeria’s importance in Africa, and the scale of the violence unfolding in that country.
Others from different villages,
in different states, which were attacked on different occasions, have made similar allegations. Release International will report their witness accounts in the weeks and months to come.
Successive reports state that more Christians are killed for their faith each year in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. And in recent years, more Christians are killed in Nigeria than in the rest of the world put together.
In Mallagum village, what Esther saw with her own eyes convinced her that these men were soldiers. She and
the other villagers were persuaded by their assurances that they would protect them.
That violence, instigated by Islamist terror groups, Fulani militants and kidnap gangs is spreading.
she says. And they looked like regular soldiers carrying regular weapons. And while the Fulani attackers were speaking their own language, Esther says these apparent soldiers spoke English. And they arrived in armoured cars.
Unless an end is put to the bloodshed, there will be a wholesale exodus of Nigerian Christians, believes Release International partner, the Anglican Archbishop of Jos, the Most Reverend Dr Benjamin Kwashi.
‘They were wearing green uniforms,’
This description alone cannot be considered proof of military collusion. But such allegations must be investigated.
He said: ‘Christians are going to leave this country. They’re going to leave in droves. Christians are going to run to anywhere in the world, but Nigeria. They will not wait for the persecution that will happen.’
If these uniformed men were Fulani militants in disguise, where did they get their military equipment? And if they were regular soldiers, how is it possible that Nigerian troops could be permitted to support an attack against defenceless villagers?
And that means this is not just Nigeria’s problem, but the world’s.
SUDAN
NIGER
CHAD
Kaduna
Plateau State
C.A.R. CAMEROON
Esther’s husband lost his parents, and together they lost their home. They had to leave what remains of their village and have now joined the estimated three million Nigerians displaced by the violence, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
8 8
We spoke to Esther at a trauma- healing workshop in Plateau State, organised by one of our Nigerian partners. The workshop was held close to another village which had been attacked by the Fulani.
Niger State
Abuja NIGERIA
Humanitarian crisis
Esther’s faith, and the faith of many displaced Christians interviewed recently by Release International is humbling and remarkable.
Overcoming faith
There, too, Fulani militants had swept in and set fire to everything they could, while the villagers ran for
their lives.