Fides Media Living the Faith
By Ikeugonna Eleke
A rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety, says not less 100 Christians have been killed since 1st April to 30th April this year.
The group in a press statement titled; ”Festivals of Christian deaths, and SIG end” by the group’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, said most of the killings were carried out by Fulani Islamic militias of the Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN.
He added that the killings spiralled to Anambra State in the Southeast and Delta State in the South-south.
The group said, ‘In Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria; two prominent citizens: a Catholic priest and a university lecturer, were also abducted and gruesomely murdered in March 2019 by the same Jihadist Fulani militias.
‘By recent independent reports, Anambra East and Anambra West Council Areas of Anambra State are presently under siege by Fulani Islamic militias who now carry out series of abductions, including abduction-for-ransom, abduction of young women-for-rape, killing of their captives in custody and unchecked encroachment on indigenous Christian communal lands for religious reasons.
‘In all these, none, not even a single culprit, till date, has been arrested, investigated and put on trial or even convicted and jailed by the central Government of Nigeria.’
The group which chronicled various killings that happened within April said, ‘Suspected herdsmen, last weekend, 12th April, 2019, stormed a farm settlement at Mmiata Anam, Anambra West Local Government Area of the state, killing six persons and inflicting severe wounds on 30 others.
‘One of the survivors said the herdsmen stormed the Agweopia Farm Settlement and Iyinkolo Farm Settlement, respectively, around 5.40 am on Friday, 12th April, 2019, killed people and burnt houses and raped women and escaped before information reached the people in the community.
‘Herdsmen struck again killing three youths last Wednesday, 10th April, 2019, in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State.
‘In Kajuru Christian area of Kaduna South in Kaduna State, two Adara Christian boys, according to a source, who were coming from the market were attacked and beaten to death by some Muslim Hausa boys on Thursday, 25th April, 2019.
‘One of them was rushed to St. Gerard Catholic Hospital where he died on Friday morning.
The incident sparked apprehension, forcing the deployment of security operatives to the troubled community.’
He called on the federal government to tighten up and provide protection for all members of society, irrespective of their religion.