Nigeria CrisisInternational Christian Concern SPECIAL REPORT

Nigerian ChristiansUnder Attack

A Christian widow stands by her husband’s grave with her

two sons. The father was killed during a Fulani attack.

ulani militants have unleashed a wave of brutal attacks against Christian villages in the early months of 2018. To document the escalating violence, International Christian Concern began publishing monthly reports

focused on attacks by Fulani militants as well as the better-known group, Boko Haram.

Fulani militants and Boko Haram have killed an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians in the last 20 years. Currently, additional hundreds are killed every month. Fulani attacks alone have pushed tens of

thousands of Christian farmers out of their farms and homes to live as refugees in their own country…yet the problem is little known outside Nigeria.

The Middle Belt consists of the states straddled by the predominately Muslim north and predominately Christian south, including Adamawa, Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Taraba the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), as well as the southern parts of Kaduna, Kebbi, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno States. This region has historically been one of the most violent and war-torn areas of Nigeria.

F

Fulani militants killed more than 50 Christians in six villages located in Benue (Tom-Atar and Umenge, Akor villages in Guma and Ayilamo, Turan, Ngambe-Tiev in Logo local government area).

Fulani militants killed 15 Christian villagers in two villages in Benue (Tse Akombo, Tse Vii and Tse Agule).

Fulani militants attacked and killed 29 people in five villages in Taraba (Gishiri, Dooshima, Danwaza, Wukari, and Donnada).

Fulani militants attacked and killed 15 villagers in three areas of Taraba State (Mutum Biyu, Wuro Jam, and Wukari).

THE WORLD SLEEPS AS A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS UNFOLDS

January 1-3 January 5-6 January 16-17 February 1

2 Nigeria Crisis | International Christian Concern Special Report

January

In January, ICC documented 44 attacks by Fulani militants on Christian farming villages that killed over 170 people and destroyed thousands of homes and other property. ICC also documented eight Boko Haram attacks which resulted in the deaths of 65 people.

Sadly, the Nigerian military also contributed to the number of individuals killed in the Middle Belt in January. Sources in Adamawa state say that military aircraft killed some 35 Christians. Military spokesmen say that the aircraft, including three jets and a helicopter, were meant to deter fighting between two communities. The bottom line for Nigerian citizens: more deaths and injuries, more devastation, more human tragedy.

The January death toll represents almost a 40 percent increase over the previous January. In January 2017, the Fulani perpetrated roughly 23 attacks on Christian communities, killing more than 75 people. In that same time period, Boko Haram attacked 20 times and claimed 105 lives.

These numbers paint a bleak future for Christians trying to survive in the Middle Belt.

February

In February, International Christian Concern (ICC) documented 32 attacks by Fulani militants on Christians, with over 95 people killed and dozens of villages destroyed. The attacks spanned 11 different states. Over the same period in 2018 there were 10 attacks which killed roughly 45 Christians.

Some of the February attacks occurred in states that instituted anti-open grazing bills late last year. The legislation appears to be having an effect in the states where it’s been instituted, but may be driving Fulani herdsmen to states that have not yet instituted such laws.

The continued violence suggests some combination of negligence, incompetence or complicity on the part of the Nigerian military. On more than one occasion Fulani militants have att acked villages within sight of military outposts or checkpoints. Yet the military has rarely intervened and prevented an attack from causing overwhelming devastation. The

Nigerian government must reclaim the land stolen by Fulani militants, rebuild the communities that have been destroyed, and protect its citizens from future attack.

March

Plateau and Taraba states experienced the heaviest attacks in March. Fulani carried out 27 attacks, only six of which involved any fighting from the villagers under attacked. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 225 Christians, the destruction of tens of thousands of dollars in property, and thousands of families displaced from their homes. During this same period, Boko Haram killed 37 people, but many were military personnel they engaged in combat. In more than 75% of their attacks, Fulani militants targeted unarmed and defenseless civilians.

Plateau State suffered the greatest losses with 107 Christians losing their lives. Yet there have been no major attempts by the Nigerian government to hold the Fulani accountable or disarm them. The government must take both steps if the mass murder is to be stopped.

Fulani militants attacked the communities of Agwatashi, Obi, Agyaragu, and Doma in Nassarawa State, killing 20 people.

At least 24 were killed in a Fulani attack on the Idoma village of Omusu in Okpokpwu LGA.

Fulani militants attacked the Dundu area of Kwal in the evening. Twenty-five were reportedly killed.

Fulani militants attacked several villages in Dekina and Omala LGAs. Thirty-two were initially reported dead, with the number later raised to around 50. Hundreds were displaced following the violence.

2018: Brutal Attacks Escalate in First Quarter

February 7 March 5 March 12 March 14

3International Christian Concern Special Report | Nigeria Crisis

ulani herders are at the center of a crisis that’s affected tens of thousands in Nigeria over decades.

The Fula people, or Fulani in Hausa language, are a large, culturally diverse ethnic group scattered across all of Sub-Saharan Africa. They number more than 5 million in Nigeria alone. A large portion of the Fulani population continue to live a nomadic lifestyle, herding mainly

cattle, but also goats and sheep across countries, keeping themselves separate from the local farming communities and national identities. More than 90 percent of Fulani identify as Muslim.

With growing environmental problems, smaller amounts of available, suitable land, and competition for resources like water and fertile soil, roving Fulani herders and the more static farming communities in Nigeria have begun

to fight each other. The Nigerian government and many international voices have thus far labeled the conflict as ethnic and socio-economic infighting. They discount or completely overlook the fact that the fighting is primarily between Fulani Muslims and Christian farmers. In most cases, attacks are instigated by violent, militant sects of the Fulani and end with utter devastation of Christian farming communities.

Roving Fulani herders with Islamist extremists in their midst, less available land, shrinking agricultural resources

How things gotthis way

F

4 Nigeria Crisis | International Christian Concern Special Report

Real Lives,Devastating EffectsThousands of farmers and villagers displaced by attacks, family breadwinners killed, rising child malnutrition, growing population of widows and orphans

ttacks have been most frequent in Benue, Plateau, Taraba and Adamawa, but the effects reach far

beyond the borders of those states. The massive number of farmers displaced from their homes and farms has created a persistent food shortage and caused thousands of Christians and others to lead a refugee-like existence within the borders of their own country. Many children suffer from malnutrition because food prices have risen and food supply has diminished.

Lastly, as with any protracted, violent conflict, the population of widows and orphans in Nigeria is growing. Men are the primary breadwinners in the society, which

means families often struggle to provide for themselves when the men are killed or wounded. The Nigerian government has not stepped in to take care of these suffering groups; therefore, the country has grown more dependent on outside help.

A

Nigerian villagers fled to a school when Fulani attacked this community. The state military said they would protect them, but the Fulani got in and killed 29.

5International Christian Concern Special Report | Nigeria Crisis

e ran and entered [the] grass. They set the grass ablaze and

burnt me, my sister, father and brother. I ran and met my brother Godfrey, but the Fulanis came and [hit my brother with machetes]. They set my step mother ablaze

y heart is terribly heavy. I haven’t been able to sleep. I was called (on phone) at about 12 mid-night when

the Fulani militia came into the village.” Rev. Nanchwat Laven, the Pastor of Salama Baptist Church, stated. When ICC’s Correspondent asked why the Fulani attacked, Rev. Nanchwat replied, “we didn’t have a quarrel.

Attakar District:Feb. 20, 2017

Ancha Village:Feb. 7, 2017

W

M

and slaughtered my brother Nathaniel. They burnt my 3-day old step brother on the head and umbilical cord. They burnt Peace [my older sister]. [After the attack], when we saw our people, we were brought down from the hills and they took us to Kaura Hospital and later to Jos.

Some of the herdsmen come into village and relax among the villagers, sometimes way into late evening, when the local vigilante would advise them to go home...It would appear the Fulanis had premeditated this attack because they had started some provocative attitude by letting their cattle graze on our farms.

ev. Andrew Okebe, the Zonal Coordinator of Christian

Association of Nigeria, Miango District, told ICC, “The soldiers had told the women and children to go and hide in the primary (elementary) school

Nkedoron Village:Oct. 16, 2017

Rclass at night while the men in the village constituted a vigilante group and join[ed] the soldiers in patrolling the area. Sadly, the militia descended and the soldiers fled, leaving the defenseless villagers to be massacred by the terrorists.

6 Nigeria Crisis | International Christian Concern Special Report

Sustainable Solutions:ICC’s Communal Farms

CC cannot solve the problem in Nigeria on our own. We have been and will continue to help the persecuted

in Nigeria through advocacy and awareness, but our main focus is to rescue the victims.

The victims are farmers, so ICC is setting up farms for them! Simple, right?

The victims don’t want a handout.

I

PROJECT• ICC plows and tills the land.• We then provide seed and fertilizer.• The Christian victims then

plant, tend, and harvest the plants and crops.

• Each farm will yield 2 crops in a year.

• Each of the 10 farms will feed approximately 500 Christians. This work can only go forward in partnership with you.

They know how to farm; they just want to be able to make a living and feed their families in the way they know how—farming.

ICC will be setting up 10 communal farms over the next year, each of about 125 acres.

Here are the details:• ICC rents the land• ICC clears the land to get it

ready for farming

7International Christian Concern Special Report | Nigeria Crisis

CHOOSE A GIFT:• $5 | Buys 5 bundles of cassava

stems, enough for 1/5 of an acre• $20 | Buys one knapsack

sprayer for weed control• $30 | Pays for one person to

have food and farming for a year

• $100 | Buys four 50 kg bags of fertilizer, enough for five acres of land

PROJECT GOALS:ICC is seeking is to raise $120,000 to fund 10 communal farms. The funds will directly support the cultivation and planting of 125-acre plots in up to 10 rural villages.

• $250 | Buys two water pumps for irrigation

• $1,250 | Provides land clearing for 125 acres

• $5,000 | Buys plowing and harrowing for 125 acres

• $12,000 | Enables an entire village to start farming again (approximately 75 families)

WAYSTO GIVE:

VILLAGE 1VILLAGE 2

PHASE ONE

VILLAGE 3

Help ICC launch 10 communal farming projects in Nigeria’s troubled Middle Belt region.

Check: Mail a check to ICC and write“Nigeria Crisis” in the note sectionPhone: Call us at 800-422-5441Online: Visit persecution.org/nigeria-crisis