The Nigerian army has had some success subduing Islamist group Boko Haram, but Christians are still being killed in Nigeria. Many of the killings are carried out by nomadic Hausa-Fulani herdsmen, a largely Muslim ethnic group that frequently targets the more settled Christian farming communities of central Nigeria. Meanwhile, 12 of Nigeria’s northern states employ Sharia (Islamic law), and Christians in these states face discrimination and restrictions in accessing community resources, such as clean water, health clinics, and higher education.
Nigerian Islamist extremists kill aid worker ‘for work for Red Cross’, Christians ‘slaves for life’
In Nigeria, a faction of Boko Haram – the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) – has killed a second aid worker kidnapped eight months ago. It’s also threatened to keep 15-year-old Leah Sharibu and Alice Loksha Ngaddah, a Christian nurse with UNICEF and mother of two (a boy, five, and […]
Leah Sharibu’s mother pleads with Nigerian president as kidnappers threaten to kill daughter
The mother of the Christian girl detained by Boko Haram for over seven months has called on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to secure her daughter’s release. Leah Sharibu, 15, was one of 110 girls kidnapped on 19 February 2018 from a school in Nigeria’s north-eastern town of Dapchi, in Yobe […]
20+ Nigerian Christians drown in river attempting to escape Fulani attackers
A pastor was one of at least 27 people who lost their lives following fresh attacks carried out by Fulani militants on five predominantly Christian communities in northeast Nigeria in recent days. Many of them drowned as they attempted to escape via the local river. Various sources contacted by World […]
Boko Haram kills midwife, threatens to kill other hostages, including Leah Sharibu, unless demands met
Boko Haram has killed an aid worker and threatened to kill three other hostages, including the Christian schoolgirl Leah Sharibu. Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa, 25, who worked as midwife with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), had been abducted on 1 March, alongside two other health workers, when […]
Nigeria: Dozens more killed as Fulani herdsmen violence continues in Plateau state
In Nigeria, dozens lost their lives during the first week of September as Fulani militants continued their killing spree in the central state of Plateau. Last month, more than 20 people – including a pastor and four members of his family – were killed in various raids attributed to Fulani […]
Kidnapped Nigerian Christian girl Leah Sharibu’s home burgled
The home of the kidnapped Nigerian teenager Leah Sharibu was broken into on Monday morning, 10 September. Leah’s mother was taking her only son to school, when thieves stole food and other belongings, including a generator, reports Nigerian news site The Cable. Leah, 15, was abducted from her school in […]
Nigeria: Pastor and three sons burned alive among at least 20 killed in latest Plateau massacre
A spate of attacks, in which at least 20 were killed in Nigeria’s central Plateau State over the last week of August, has shattered peace efforts by religious and political leaders in its capital, Jos. Three months ago, heavily armed Fulani militants stormed 15 villages across the same Barkin Ladi […]
Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram told to return to dangerous areas to vote
In northeast Nigeria, thousands of people who have fled Boko Haram’s attacks have been told to return back home, despite security concerns. Boko Haram’s nine-year insurgency has led to an acute crisis, described by the United Nations as one of the most severe in the world today, with more than 20,000 people killed, […]
Parents seek global petitions to Nigerian President to ‘#BringBackOurLeah’
The parents of the Nigerian Christian girl held by Boko Haram say they have renewed hope that she might safely return home after a short audio recording her kidnappers released last week. In the 35-second recording, Leah Sharibu is heard asking for help for her family and herself, calling on […]
Nigeria: Kidnapped Leah Sharibu calls on president for help
Leah Sharibu, the Christian teenager abducted by an Islamist group in February, has asked Nigeria’s president to intervene and help facilitate her release. In a 35-second audio recording, obtained by Ahmad Salkida for Nigerian newspaper The Cable, she asks for help for her family and herself. “I also plead to […]