Chapter 6. Actors of persistent violence in Northern Nigeria

162 Pages·2016·7.98 MB·English

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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 Christians34
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
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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 areas119
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
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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

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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

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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 and
religious elite, radical Islamic groups, and the Fulani herdsmen, acting within the framework of a Culture of political
violence. Drivers of violence can be summarized as follows: protection of northern Muslim endangered interests
(political-economic), protection of Muslims’ endangered identity (social-cultural), and protection of Islam’s
endangered ‘legitimate’ position (religious).
March 2015 about 500,000 Christians were displaced. Between 2006 and 2014 an estimated 11,500 Christians were
killed and within the period of 2000 and 2014 over 13,000 churches have been abandoned, closed, destroyed and/or
burnt. In the same period up to 1.3 million Christians have been affected and most were forced to flee. The severely
affected communities are in the predominantly Muslim Far North. Christians relocate mainly to the predominantly
Christian Middle Belt, but at the same time Christian communities in the rural areas of this sub-region are the most
affected by Muslim herdsmen attacks.
Between 2000 and 2014 Church life, according to Christians, diminished substantially to dramatically in violence-
ridden areas. The Christian behavior towards Muslims deteriorated from negative to strongly negative due to
experiences of perceived marginalization, discrimination and violence by Muslims. Positive Christian attitudes
towards Muslims according to Christians substantially worsened due to feelings of fear and adversity through
personal experiences of killing, mistreatment, etc. And the result is growing distrust, antagonism and segregation.
Muslim involvement in politics is seen by many Christians as a Muslim partisan game and consequently useless. But
many more Christians feel the need for liberation from Muslim dominance through political self-empowerment and
engagement in the political domain.
Faith however has not been abandoned. Moreover although many churches have seen a decline in membership and
subsequent attendance; those who have stayed show an increase in commitment to their faith and church. Christians
however face major challenges in coping with trauma, living in mixed communities, involvement in politics, and
access to employment in government services.
Christian communities in the hardest hit areas that remain are small, traumatized and inclined to resort to vigilante
groups for self-defense. Christian communities that receive relocating Christians are overwhelmed by the
humanitarian crisis and lack human, financial and other resources to cope with the urgent needs. The property and
land of fleeing Christians are bought, confiscated or simply occupied by local or migrant Muslims. Returning
Christians have great difficulty in starting all over again. Responses of the Church leadership so far lack coherent
vision, strategy and planning to cope with this.
What will be the effects of persistent violence for the future? The Church in Northern Nigeria had its ‘golden age’ from
the time of the first missionaries until the 1987 Kafanchan crisis in which it expanded beyond the Middle Belt and had
great inroads into the Far North. But the impact since then of Muslim dominance in terms of religion and politics,
Islamist insurgencies and Muslim herdsmen attacks has led to a decline of the Church in the Far North and an
overburdening of the Church in the Middle Belt through relocating Christians. At the same time in certain areas the
Church seems on the verge of death.
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Will the Church in Northern Nigeria disengage from society, close in on itself in order to survive, slowly fall into
decline and over time cease to exist? Or will the Church in Northern Nigeria engage within society, opening up its
resources from the Gospel to the benefit of all, and thrive?
The Church in Northern Nigeria has to do some thorough analysis of the challenge it is presently facing, come up
with a vision and strategy for the future, develop accompanying measures that are comprehensive and realistic at the
same time, and apply these effectively. At the same time the Church in Northern Nigeria should urge the Nigerian
government and the International community to take action to guarantee equality and the realization of the rights of
Christians to religious freedom, as well as their economic and social rights as citizens of Nigeria.

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Acknowledgement, disclaimers

Acknowledgement
The author expresses his gratitude to Church leaders, lay Christians and scientists in Northern Nigeria that
contributed to the report through their participation in In-Depth Interviews, Structured Interviews and Focus Group
Discussions. The interviews and discussions were all done in June 2014.
The report was read, appreciated and commented upon by three professors in Northern Nigeria. The author
appreciates their contribution greatly for without it the report would not be the same. Their comments were
communicated by internet and in the country in September 2015.
The results of the report were presented in consultations to senior Church leaders of the Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN) in Northern Nigeria at all levels. The author thanks these Church leaders for their appreciation,
comments and recommendations. The consultations were held in September and December 2015.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) fully endorses the content of the report and wants the Church and
international policy makers to take action to provide security for Christians in Northern Nigeria as well as safeguard
their federal rights in the religious, political, economic and social domain of society.
At last the author thanks his colleagues of Open Doors International in Nigeria and abroad that contributed to the
report in research, discussions, comments, moral support and other.
At last Open Doors International thanks local Christians in Nigeria who participated in and contributed to the
research, as well as staff of Open Doors International.

Disclaimers
The choice of the names of actors of persistent violence (i.e. northern Muslim political and religious elite, radical
Islamic groups and Muslim Fulani herdsmen), and drivers of persistent violence (i.e. Northern Muslim endangered
interests, Muslims’ endangered identity, and Islam’s endangered ‘legitimate’ position) is to accommodate the
controversy regarding the identity of those allegedly involved in persistent violence, in both formal and informal
reports. However, it is not intended to target one particular political, economic, socio-cultural or religious group.
The report is based upon field and media research among mainly Christians and as a consequence the Muslims mind
is mostly presumed and interpreted by Christian victims, those interviewed and from the views of scholars. For the
purpose of this report this is sufficient as the research was to present data about the impact of persistent violence on
the Church. But for a good balance of knowledge, further research is necessary on the targeted Muslim groups as the
perpetrators of violence on Northern Christians so that the Muslim mind could also be captured and a comparative
analysis of both the Christian mind and Muslim mind be made.
Although Christians as a minority are targeted by persistent violence in Northern Nigeria, some Christians however
have also brought conflict upon themselves through their own tribalism, political agenda, hatred, retaliation and
violence. Other Christians have not always responded well to conflict and violence, and violence by Muslims has
sometimes been encouraged by the negative responses of perpetrators perceived to be Christians. Muslims
sometimes react because they feel marginalized (e.g. Plateau State in which they are considered non-indigenes with
all implications).
Names not published for security reasons
For security reasons, the names of those interviewed cannot be published in this report. The interviews were
conducted with different categories of Christians considered as church leaders, scientist, and victims in Northern
Nigeria. There was no distinction in gender, class, ethnicity or political affiliation.

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Chapter 1. An impact study

1.1. Introduction
This report focuses on the impact of persistent violence on the Church in Northern Nigeria. The Church in Northern
Nigeria in the report is the entirety of the Christian community, the organized church denominations and the
individual Christians in this region. With persistent violence we characterize the apparent ongoing sequence of
incidents of violence and with the impact we mean the consequences of persistent violence on the Church in
Northern Nigeria.
In the first quarter of 2014 it became obvious that the Boko Haram (BH) insurgency was having a great impact on the
Church in Northern Nigeria. This was just some months away from what we now know as the peak of this insurgency
with the establishment of the Gwoza Caliphate on August 24 2014, and subsequent large scale violence in the
Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. People were traumatized, wounded and killed; women and girls were raped,
kidnapped and/or forced into marriage. The number of internally displaced people and refugees to neighboring
countries increased enormously.
Among the victims were many Christians, and attacks on churches, Christian properties, lands, houses, shops, schools
and clinics caused great damage and loss. Many Christians relocated to safer areas and Christian communities in
violence-stricken areas were reduced to small numbers. As church buildings were burnt or destroyed, congregations
became incapable of paying their pastor’s stipend (as is common in Africa), Believers did not meet otherwise out of
fear, churches closed or were abandoned, Christian communities ceased to exist and at times Muslims, some from
neighboring countries, took over the empty spaces.
The Boko Haram insurgency was not the only form of persistent violence the Church in Northern Nigeria has been
suffering from. In the Sharia states and other Muslim dominated areas long before the Boko Haram insurgency,
Christian communities were marginalized and victim to discrimination at times amounting to violent targeting. Many
Christians migrated to the safer areas leaving behind their more vulnerable remaining communities. Muslim Fulani
herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Middle Belt states are another form of violence the Church is
experiencing. Although one could assume this to be purely economic, the religious overtones are believed by many
Christians as attacks also aimed at conquering Christian lands in order to Islamize them1.
Philip Jenkins in his book about the history of the Church in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, states that: “the deeply
rooted Christianity of Africa and Asia did not simply fade away through lack of zeal, or theological confusion: it was
[finally] crushed, in a welter of warfare and persecution.” Although oppression and persecution are not inherent to
Islamic rule – Muslim regimes have tolerated other faiths for long periods – this tolerance failed at various times and
collapsed at critical points2. And in the context of the decline of the Church, five other factors he cites are relevant3. Is
this the future of the Church in Northern Nigeria? Will this be the impact over time of the persistent violence on
Christian communities in this part of the country? An impact study as to the effects of persistent violence on the
Church in Northern Nigeria is timely. More precisely, at the level of strategy and operations, what is the present status
of persistent violence, what is its impact on the Church in Northern Nigeria, and what can be done to counteract the
devastating effects on the Church, which is in danger of extinction in some areas if nothing is done to strengthen it?
This report aims to address these issues.
This impact study can also serve to gain better insight for policy makers in Church, government and society in Nigeria
and at the level of the International community. Because persistent violence in Northern Nigeria is much larger and
has more causes then commonly perceived. And the negative impact of persistent violence on the Church in
Northern Nigeria is also more profound than many think. Church, government and society in Nigeria and the
International community have to know about the scope of this violence and its negative impact in order to respond
in a proper way to the violence.

1 Cf. Abdulbarkindo Adamu and Alypse Ben; ‘Migration and Violent-Conflict in Divided Societies: Non-Boko Haram Violence against Christians in
the Middle Belt region of Nigeria’, by, NPVRN Working Paper No. 1, Abuja-Nigeria; For World Watch Research, Open Doors International,
Netherlands, March 2015;https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/research/3777637
2 Cf. p. 100 in Philip Jenkins, The Lost History of Christianity, The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and
How It Died, Harper One, New York, 2008.
3 Cf. Ibid, p. 207 Chapter 7, ‘How faiths die’.
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