Fides Media Living the Faith
By Ikeugonna Eleke
Human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), has said that 700 Christians were slaughtered in the month of May alone, before former president, Muhammadu Buhari exited office.
The group said the killings happened mostly in Benue, Nassarawa, Kaduna, Niger, Taraba, Borno and Yobe States.
In a press statement signed by the group’s Board of Trustees chairman, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi, it described the killings as a farewell gift by those it called jihadist Fulani herdsmen to Buhari.
Part of the group’s statement read: ‘Fulani Jihadists slaughtered 700 Christians as farewell gifts to Nigerian Radical Islamic leaders. The Nigerian radical Islamic leaders who marked the end of their civilian office tenures on 29 May 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 a detailed investigation by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, it was gathered that not less than 300 Christians were slaughtered in Plateau State (Mangu County, etc) between 15th and 17th May, 2023 alone.
‘The second worst hit State is Benue where not less than 110 Christians were slaughtered in May-early June, 2023, including 40 slaughtered between 3rd and 4th June, 2023 and 18 defenceless Christians hacked to death on 21st May, 2023, as well as 28 others slaughtered between 7th and 10th May, 2023.
‘In all, Benue State accounted for over 190 Christian deaths between 12th April and 12th June, 2023.’
The group said the third worst hit state was Kaduna, alleging that its case was made worse because of what it called the complicity of the former state governor, Nasir el-Rufai.
The group called on the international community to investigate the killings with a view to punishing those involved.
‘Intersociety also wishes to unequivocally state that it is morally reprehensible for the UK Government to continue to play host and open its international doors to worst violators and abusers of human rights and promoters of genocide and genocidal incitements.
‘The UK Government cannot probate and reprobate by globally parading itself as a democratic and human rights respecter state and at the same time found wanting as a country encouraging or harboring grisly and egregious human rights abuses and violations and their abusers or violators,’ the group said.