Impact of Persistent Violence on the Church in Northern Nigeria
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2 CONTENTS Foreword ....................................................................... 6 Executive Summary ...................................................... 7 Acknowledgement, disclaimers .................................. 9 Chapter 1. An impact study ....................................... 10 1.1. Introduction ............................................. 10 1.2. Methodology ........................................... 11 1.3. Structure of the report ............................. 12 Chapter 2. Figures, features and trends ................... 13 2.1. Figures concerning the impact of persistent violence 13 2.1.1 Christians targeted ................................... 13 2.1.2. Christians killed ........................................ 16 2.1.3. Christians displaced and Churches abandoned/closed/destroyed/burnt 22 2.2. Features of the impact of persistent violence 25 2.3. Trends in Muslim control over society .... 29 2.4. Conclusions .............................................. 32 Chapter 3. Church life and personal life of Christians 34 3.1 Church Life ............................................... 34 3.2. Personal life of Christians ......................... 36 3.2.1. Attitude of Christians ............................... 36 3.2.2. Behavior of Christians .............................. 39 3.2.3. Spiritual and emotional well-being ......... 44 3.2.4. Challenges for Christians ......................... 46 3.2.5. Conclusions .............................................. 48 Chapter 4. Responses and perspectives of the Church50 4.1. Current responses .................................... 50 4.2. Mid and long-term strategies and perspectives 51 4.3. Conclusions .............................................. 56 3 Chapter 5. Northern Nigeria in context .................... 58 5.1. Early developments (1900 – 1960) .......... 58 5.2. Recent developments (1960 – 2015) ....... 63 5.3. Conclusion ................................................ 66 Chapter 6. Actors of persistent violence in Northern Nigeria 67 6.1. Northern Muslim political and religious elite 67 6.2. Radical Islamic groups ............................. 72 6.3. The Fulani herdsmen ............................... 74 6.4. The Culture of political violence .............. 76 6.5. Conclusion ................................................ 76 Chapter 7. The Church in Northern Nigeria .............. 78 7.1. The Colonial period (1857 – 1954) ........... 78 7.2. The period of Independent Churches (from 1954 – 1987) 80 7.3. The period of religious violence (from 1987 – present) 81 7.4. Conclusion ................................................ 84 Chapter 8. Conclusions ............................................... 86 8.1. Conclusions .............................................. 86 8.2. Scenarios .................................................. 87 8.3. Follow-up ................................................. 88 Appendix 1. List of In-Depth Interviews ................... 89 Appendix 2. Results of Structured Interviews .......... 90 Appendix 3. List of Focus Group Discussions ......... 102 Appendix 4. Estimated Christian and Muslim populations per northern state in 2014 103 Appendix 5. Christians victim of persistent violence ‘by targeting’ 108 Appendix 7. Affected Christians in Northern Nigeria (2000–2014) 112 Appendix 8. Affected congregations in Northern Nigeria (2000 – 2014) 116 Appendix 9. Location of the six representative areas 119 Appendix 10. Political and religious affiliation of northern (deputy) governors 125 Appendix 11. Staff of big media houses in Northern Nigeria (as at 2014) 127 4 Appendix 12. Nigerian past and present leaders from 1960 to the present 130 Appendix 13. Prominent figures of the northern political and religious elite 132 Appendix 14. Overview of percentages Christians, Muslims and ATR in northern states 134 Appendix 15. Summary of attacks on Christians in Northern Nigeria 137 Appendix 16. Christians killed by targeted violence151 Literature ................................................................... 151 5 Foreword The statistics of persecution and violence against Christians world-wide has become unprecedented in recent times. Christians in the Middle East; Western, Central and Southern Asia; North and East Africa have had their own share. One of the worst examples and it affects us personally, is the current phenomenon of persistent violence of Christians in Northern Nigeria. This report is a specific confirmation of this global phenomenon against Christians in Northern Nigeria. Furthermore, it is also a documentation of a field research on the impact of persistent violence on Christians in Northern Nigeria. The research work presents the facts that show grave and gross violation of human rights and religious freedom of Christians in Northern Nigeria, which have over the years failed to catch and attract sufficient sympathy and attention of the Nigerian and worldwide Church, the Federal and States’ Government and the International community. This research has revealed by giving evidences that violence on Christians in Northern Nigeria has been well calculated and targeted based upon social, cultural, religious, economic and political interests. But these interests cannot be placed above human rights, religious freedom and democracy in Nigeria. Moreover humanity and freedom of the Christian minority in Northern Nigeria cannot be trampled upon by any reason or cause. Perpetrators of violence against Christians should be held accountable. However, through compromise, the Federal Government of Nigeria and that of the states in Northern Nigeria have never taken a strong, constitutional and political stand that guarantees the safety, security, rights and freedom of Christians anywhere in Northern Nigeria. In view of these gross violations of the rights of Christians, both the Nigerian Federal Government and that of the states have turned a blind eye. From where will help come for the Christian minority in Northern Nigeria? The Nigerian and worldwide Church and the International community do not know these social facts as the propagandists for the Muslim North do deliberately hide these. The significance of this research report is that it draws attention to the devastating impact of persistent violence on Christians in Northern Nigeria. This impact of the persistent violence on the Church in Northern Nigeria is well researched and defined in the report. It gives a very good historical background, the progressive nature and the development of the problem. It also explains the active role of the dominant actors, the influence of the prevailing social factors and presents a well- researched description of the nature of the impact of violence upon the Northern Church. This research provides the Church in Nigeria with very valuable information about the impact of persistent violence on the Church in Northern Nigeria. The Nigerian and the Northern Church can use these research findings to develop strategies for its own survival in a northern hostile religious and political environment. Moreover, the research calls for the necessity of taking appropriate actions by the Federal and States’ Governments and the International community. Otherwise, this systemic and persistent violence towards Christians in Northern Nigeria, if unchecked and halted, could lead to the extinction of Christianity and Christian communities in Northern Nigeria. Rev. Musa Asake, PhD. General Secretary Christian Association of Nigeria National Christian Centre Abuja, Nigeria February 2016 6 Executive Summary Northern Nigeria is a British colonial construct in which the Muslim Far North and the non-Muslim – now predominantly Christian – Middle Belt areas of present day Nigeria were united in one common entity. This entity of Northern Nigeria was ruled by the British colonial administration (indirect rule) within the Sokoto Caliphate structure of Hausa-Fulani emirs. This Muslim Hausa-Fulani rule was extended after Nigerian independence, but challenged under democracy. The non-Muslim population in the northern region wants freedom from Hausa-Fulani domination, which is difficult to get as the holders of power in the northern region want it to remain undivided with regards to the northern-southern divide in competition over access to power, resources and state funds. Christianity has grown in Northern Nigeria from non-existent in 1857 to an estimated >30 million (31.2%) now. This is a minority in a Muslim context, but a sizable one. There are high concentrations of Christians in 7 Northern states. In 6 Northern states Christians are in the majority. Christian existence in Northern Nigeria is under threat through persistent violence, but at the same time the Church is growing in size through an increasing number of Muslim converts and is growing in strength through a substantial rise in the commitment of nominal Christians making radical choices in faith. Christians in Northern Nigeria are a substantial minority but targeted for different reasons by persistent violence (biggest minority, exponential church growth, ethnic composition and associated with the West). They suffer from targeted violence by politically motivated communal clashes, the 2011 post-electoral crisis, the Boko Haram insurgency and Fulani herdsmen attacks. They also suffer from marginalization and discrimination by forced Islamization through Sharia state governments and Islamic society at large. Actors of persistent violence impacting the Church in Northern Nigeria are: the northern Muslim political