Religious communities in Nigeria are facing ongoing, systematic, and egregious violations of their ability to practice their faith, says a US human rights monitor.
A July 21 update from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) found that the Nigerian government’s enforcement of blasphemy laws and an increase in violent attacks by nonstate entities targeting religious communities “constitute significant restrictions on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB),” USCIRF’s new report stated.
The report said that 12 Nigerian states and the federal government enforce blasphemy laws, prosecuting and imprisoning individuals perceived to have insulted religion. Those targeted include Christians, Muslims, people who follow traditional African religions, and humanists.
“Furthermore, despite efforts to reduce violence by nonstate actors, the government is often slow to react to violent attacks by Fulani herders, bandit gangs, or insurgents such as Jama’at Ahl al-Sunna lid-Dawah wa’al-Jihad (JAS/Boko Haram), the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and other groups invoking Islam to commit acts of violence,” the report said. It said that perpetrators of violence against Christians, Muslims and others have attacked religious sites, kidnapped or killed religious leaders, and sometimes demanded taxes from religious groups, invoking Shari’a law as justification.
While the report acknowledges increased efforts by federal police and military to head off attacks by violent groups, it said that those groups often have superior manpower and weapons, including advanced drones.
“These capabilities stymie the military’s ability to prevent attacks on religious communities,” it said.
Blasphemy
The report explained that Nigeria’s federal penal code criminalizes actions or statements which “persons consider as a public insult on their religion, with the intention that they should consider the act such an insult.” The constitution also grants state governments the authority to adjudicate criminal and noncriminal proceedings through Shari’a courts. Some states disregard the laws’ limitation that they be applied only to Muslims and fine, charge, convict and imprison Christians and other non-Muslims. The federal government permits 12 northern states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to implement a Shari’a-based legal framework that criminalizes blasphemy and related offenses. In some areas, those convicted can receive corporal punishments such as caning, amputation, and stoning.
Some states also ignore Nigeria’s status as a secular state. In March, for example, the northern states of Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Bauchi closed all grade schools, including public and Christian institutions, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Fulani
USCIRF’s report delves into the strife between Fulani herders, who are predominantly Muslim, and farmers, who are mostly Christian. Attacks in Benue and Plateau States killed at least 284, with 70 casualties in late April alone. In May in Benue State, a herder reportedly shot a Catholic priest, but he survived. In June, assailants killed at least 200 people, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) sheltered in a Catholic mission in Benue State. The attacks prompted President Bola Tinubu to order security agencies to bring an end to the violence.
The attacks have taken place mostly in the Middle Belt until now, but the south has seen an uptick in violence. Not only are the attacks causing fear in Christian communities, the poor response on the part of the authorities deeply concerns them as well. In March, at least 52 people died in attacks in Plateau State. The army’s third division barracks is near the attack sites, but the soldiers there reportedly failed to respond.
In April, President Tinubu called on the Plateau State governor to address the underlying communal issues that fueled the clashes between Fulani and Christians.
USCIRF charged that federal and state authorities “continue to tolerate attacks by nonstate entities who often justify their violence on the basis of a religious ideology and specifically target vulnerable religious communities.”
“Extremists justifying violence on Islamic religious grounds and some violent Fulani herder groups have expressed a goal of overthrowing Nigeria’s current secular form of government,” the report said. “In May, for example, bandits threatened an anniversary attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo State three years after an initial attack killed dozens on Pentecost, discouraging many this year from attending Mass.”
Insurgent groups
Violent insurgent groups continue to restrict freedom of religion and belief in Nigeria. In addition to Boko Haram and others, a new threat is emerging from, an affiliate of the Islamic State-Sahel Province (ISSP), named Lakurawa, which recently increased operations in northwestern Nigeria. Over the last year it has infiltrated Kebbi and Sokoto States, imposing its interpretation of Shari’a.
JAS/Boko Haram—which the State Department designates as an Entity of Particular Concern (EPC)— has gained strength in recent months as well, the report says. In May, a traditional ruler in Borno State reported that the group’s fighters attacked his community, including traditional practitioners and Christians, and that government soldiers there were ill-equipped to respond adequately. In January, JAS/Boko Haram fighters reportedly burned down a church auditorium and killed several people.
Kidnappings
Bandit groups often carry out kidnappings to extort money, and they have increasingly targeted religious institutions that they believe have substantial financial means, the report indicated. The Catholic Church and its clergy often become targets. Armed attackers abducted Fr. Philip Ekweli and seminarian Peter Andrew in Edo State. They later freed Fr. Ekweli but killed the seminarian. In February in Numan, police and vigilantes captured a kidnapper and freed two priests, Frs. Mathew David Dusami of Yola Diocese and Abraham Samman of Jalingo Diocese. The priests were unharmed, and the Church paid no ransom. But unidentified assailants killed Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu after taking him from his home in Kaduna State on Ash Wednesday.
USCIRF continues to recommend that the U.S. Department of State designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), the highest level designation for countries’ poor religious rights record. It also urges a reconsideration of U.S. foreign assistance to the government of Nigeria. In January, the U.S. government paused humanitarian assistance to Nigeria, much of which was distributed through faith-based organizations or with the intent of reducing interreligious tensions.
The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has found that the many challenges facing the Church in Nigeria tend to strengthen people’s faith. A high number of priestly vocations is particularly encouraging. In 2024, ACN once again prioritized supporting the training of future priests and provided assistance to needy priests through Mass stipends.
In areas where the situation has improved, ACN helps the Church to rebuild destroyed buildings. In crisis regions, it aids in implementing essential security measures, including the construction of protective walls and fences or the installation of technical equipment to protect monasteries and seminaries from violent attacks.
–By John Burger
