Church attacks: Nigeria risks U.S. sanctions

By OBINNA EZUGWU

Increasingly targeted by bandits and sundry terrorists, the clergy in Nigeria, mostly of orthodox churches, and those of Catholic Church in particular are becoming increasingly endangered in country.

Recent attacks on the church, as highlighted by the horrendous massacre of over 40 worshippers at Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owo Ondo State last month and similar massacre of churchgoers in Kaduna have jolted many and renewed global interest in the country.

Between May and July, close to 15 priests, mainly of the Catholic Church have been abducted by terrorists, a number of whom have been killed, what some say is evidence of the church being targeted by forces bent on suppressing Christianity in the country.

“There is a deliberate attempt to suppress and wipe off Christianity in Nigeria and at the moment, the Catholic Church is the main target of the attacks,” noted Reverend Father Ugochukwu Ugwoke, a priest of the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt.

“In Nigeria, no week passes without news of attack on Christians. Recently, a Catholic Priest, Fr Vitus Borogo was killed in Kaduna and today, another priest, Fr Christopher Odia was kidnapped on his way to Mass and later murdered. His Mass server was also shot in the process.

“Another Catholic Priest, Fr Peter Amodu, CSSp was kidnapped in Otukpo, Benue State on his way to Mass. We’ll continue to pray for his safe release even as we keep calling on the government to wake up.”

Indeed, the pattern is troubling. The abduction on Sunday May 29, of His Eminence Samuel Kanu-Uche, prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria alongside two other Bishops in Abia State by gunmen he subsequently identified as ‘Fulani boys,’ appear to have set the stage for a wave of abductions of clergymen and attacks on worshippers in various parts of the country.

The following Sunday, June 5, terrorists whom witnesses said were herdsmen, invaded St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State with guns and explosives and murdered not less than 40 worshippers.

Yet, terrorists on Sunday June 19, attacked a Catholic Church in Kaduna State killing three worshippers and abducting not less not than 36 others.

Again, terrorists on May 25, broke into the rectory of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Gidan Maikambo, in the Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State and abducted two priests, Fr. Stephen Ojapa and Fr. Oliver Okpara, as well as Mr. Hassan Hassan, and Ms. Ummie Hassan.
The victims were however, freed more than a month later, on June 26, apparently after payment of ransom was made.

The Katsina priests could count themselves lucky. So will Rev. Father Udo of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Uromi, and Rev. Father Philemon Oboh of St. Joseph Retreat Centre, Ugboha in Edo State who were kidnapped on Saturday night of July 2, but subsequently freed on Tuesday July 5.

Although the state police spokesperson, Chidi Nwanbuzor, said the priests were rescued by police officers in the early hours of Tuesday following intensive bush-combing, Business Hallmark learnt that ransom was paid for their release.

Regardless, those freed, even after ransom payment could count themselves lucky. Others were no so lucky. On Saturday, June 25, the terrorists murdered Rev Fr. Vitus Borogo at the Prison Farm, Kujama, along Kaduna-Kachia Road, in Kaduna State, during a raid on the farm.

A day after, the terrorists on Sunday, June 26, kidnapped and subsequently murdered Rev. Fr. Christopher Odia in Edo State.

Meanwhile, the fate of Rev. Father Peter Amodu, another Catholic priest who was kidnapped along Otukpo-Ugbokolo Highway when he was going to celebrate Holy Mass on Wednesday, July 6 remains uncertain.

These are only some of the incidents that occurred between May and early July 2022 alone, and point to frightening escalation of violence targeted at priests amid overall worsening insecurity in Africa’s most populous country, one that has caught the attention of the international community, even as the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government appears to have lost total control in its wake.

“The pattern is definitely worrisome,” said Kola Adeyemi, a public affairs commentator. “But I don’t think the targeting of clergy men, which is definitely on the rise, is necessarily an attack on Christianity.

“I think it has more to do with criminality. The bandits or terrorists, whatever they are called, appear to be interested in ransom only.

“They are becoming more audacious because of the failure of the government. If you look at the general security situation in the country, you can’t help but conclude that the Buhari government is” incapable of protecting Nigerians. Look at the recent attack on Kuje custodial centre for example. It’s such a shame.”

Theories and counter theories have been adduced to explain the worrying scenario. For Rev. Shehu Luke, it is all part of a plot by some elements to hijack Nigeria into a full-fledged Muslim-controlled state.

“We are aware of the intent of religious bigots or those sympathetic to radical Islam to hijack Nigeria into a full-fledged Muslim-control, with a sham democracy,” he said.

Fortnight ago, five United States senators: Josh Hawley; Mike Braun; Tom Cotton; Marco Rubio and James M. Inhofe, wrote Antony Blinken, the country’s secretary of state to renew their demand for the redesignation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC), with regard to religious freedom violation.

Blinken had in November last year, removed Nigeria from the special watch list of states that had engaged in or tolerated severe violation of religious freedom, one year after the Trump administration placed the country and six other countries on it.

But in the wake of recent violence targeting Christians, the secretary of state is facing renewed pressure to reverse the decision, what could mean imposition of economic sanctions against Nigeria.

The senators, whose intervention was prompted by the lynching and subsequent setting ablaze of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto by her school mates over alleged blasphemy, and the Owo massacre, among other incidents, reprimanded Mr. Blinken for removing Nigeria from the list of country of concern in the first place.

The letter reads, ”As you are well aware, horrific acts of deadly violence have been committed against Nigerian Christians in recent weeks, including the massacre of churchgoers on Pentecost Sunday and the stoning of a Christian college student.

“Sadly, such violence has become all too familiar for Christians in Africa’s most populous country. Last year, however, you inexplicably removed Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) despite no demonstrable improvement in the country’s religious freedom conditions.

“On the contrary, the situation in Nigeria has grown worse. We previously urged you to immediately reverse your misguided decision, and we write today to renew our call.
“Recent high-profile acts of violence underscore the intense religious persecution that is regularly experienced by Nigerian Christians.

“On Pentecost Sunday, gunmen attacked St. Francis Catholic Church in Nigeria’s Ondo state, reportedly killing at least 50 churchgoers. Last month, a violent mob brutally stoned to death Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a student at Shehu Shagari College of Education in northwest Nigeria.

“According to reports, some Islamist students were enraged by a “blasphemous” message Deborah had posted in a WhatsApp group, in which she said that “Jesus Christ is the greatest. He helped me pass my exams.”

Merely expressing one’s Christian faith has apparently become tantamount to a death sentence in many parts of Nigeria.

“Religious violence and intolerance directed toward Nigerian Christians has worsened in recent years. One report documented more than 4,650 cases of Nigerian Christians who were killed for their faith in 2021.

“Accordingly, Nigeria earns the dubious honor—for the second consecutive year—of being the deadliest country on earth for Christians.

“We wrote last year that “[n]ot only has the government of Nigeria failed to take meaningful steps to mitigate such violence, but Nigerian authorities restrict and crack down on religious minorities and detain individuals indefinitely on blasphemy-related charges.”

“We remain concerned that the Nigerian government is failing to protect the religious freedom and basic safety of its Christian citizens.

“Furthermore, as this year’s annual reports from the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and from your own Department make clear, Nigerian government authorities directly participate in the persecution of Christians, Muslims, and even non-theists, most notoriously through arrests and convictions under blasphemy laws.

“When we previously wrote you, we were met with a response which failed to answer our questions about why the State Department views Nigeria as not having engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom” or even “severe violations of religious freedom.”

“This is unacceptable, especially because you are required by federal law to consider the recommendation of USCIRF—which, since 2009, has been to designate Nigeria as a CPC. In fact, USCIRF reiterated in its 2022 Annual Report that it was “appalled” at the removal of Nigeria’s CPC designation.

“Given the abysmal state of religious freedom in Nigeria, it is incumbent upon you to reverse last year’s decision and redesignate the country as a CPC. The moment demands that you do so without delay.”

The Buhari government, through Alhaji Lai Mohammed, however countered the U.S. senators, arguing that their call was based on “false premise and misunderstanding of what is going on in the country”.

According to Mr. Mohammed in an interview with NAN last week, “We want to say once again that Nigeria does not have a policy that denies people the freedom to practice their religion.

“The country also does not have a policy of violation freedom of religion and it is not true that Nigeria persecute anybody on account of his or her faith.”

Mohammed said the constitution of Nigeria guarantees the right of anyone to practice their own faith without molestation, and that the government has always guarded the constitutional provision jealously.

He said commentators who are not well-versed in the politics and happenings in Nigeria took criminalities and communal clashes as issues of religious persecution.

“Nobody in Nigeria is being persecuted But we have issues of criminality going on and the criminals really do not make distinction of any religion,” he added.

“They kidnap for money; they hold people for ransom irrespective of their religion and there are some issues of communal matters dating back to many years.

“If statistic is to be taken, I can say confidently that as many Muslims as Christians have been victims of these criminals.”

According to the minister, the only known group that targets Christians is the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).

“What ISWAP is doing is that because of their dwindling influence they are now attacking churches and Christians in order to create crisis between various religious group,” he said. “But as a government, we are after them.”

Given that the terrorists have carried out more attacks in the Muslim north where communities are increasingly being invaded with scores killed and numerous others abducted for ransom, many would agree with Mr. Mohammed that the violence is mostly criminal in nature.

Indeed, the Methodist Church Prelate, Samuel Kanu-Uche whose abduction set the stage for the new wave of kidnapping of priests had disclosed after his release, that the church paid N100 million ransom to his abductors before they agreed to free him.

But he also accused the Nigerian Army of being complicit in the criminality. According to him, there were soldiers within the vicinity where the bandits operated, but they failed to stop them, which speaks to possible collusion.

“They said down there, there is a gully with seven decomposing bodies and we cut off their heads. We also perceived the odour of killed human beings,” the prelate disclosed at a media briefing after his release.

“Their leader asked for five Ghana-Must-Go bags for the N100m. He also said Lagos is on their radar. I am asking that the government should act now before another thing starts to happen.

“The Methodist church sent N100m for the three of us who were kidnapped. The money came from members of the Methodist Church of Nigeria. The Nigerian Army is complicit in the kidnapping.”

Security sources who spoke to Business Hallmark also noted that uptick in the abduction of priests is mainly attributable to money.

“The bandits are targeting these priests basically for ransom,” a police source who craved anonymity said. “They target priests because they know the church will pay ransom. This is what we have been witnessing.

“They believe that these churches are rich. And most of the time, when they kidnap, the church would raise money and pay ransom without even informing the police. That’s the challenge.”