Fighting for Persecuted Christians in Nigeria at the UNHRC
The number of helpless Christians being murdered in Nigeria continues to rise at an alarming rate.
This week the ACLJ took direct action in the fight to save them. We filed a critical written submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland through our European office, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Our submission urged immediate action, as is the duty of the U.N. in the face of the ongoing violent human rights crisis.
More than 1,200 Nigerian Christians have been senselessly killed within Nigeria in 2020 alone, and that number continues to rise. In our submission, we informed the U.N. of this staggering number as well as the destruction and violence Nigerian Christians face on a daily basis:
According to one report, approximately 1,202 Nigerian Christians have been killed by Fulani herdsmen and radical Islamic terrorists in the first six months of 2020 alone. The report indicates that approximately 812 Christians were killed by Fulani herdsmen and 390 were killed at the hands of Boko Haram. The report also detailed how horrific these attacks against Christians are, stating:
“Thousands of defenseless Christians who survived being hacked to death have also been injured and left in mutilated conditions with several of them crippled for life . . . . Hundreds of Christian worship and learning centers have been destroyed or burnt; likewise, thousands of dwelling houses, farmlands and other properties belonging to Christians”.
Sadly, as we recently reported, the death toll is continuing to rise — rapidly.
Furthermore, we again reminded the UNHRC of Leah Sharibu, who to this day remains a captive of Boko Haram because she refuses to renounce her faith.
As we have stated in previous written submissions, Leah Sharibu continues to be held captive by Boko Haram. Leah Sharibu is a Christian teen who was kidnapped by Boko Haram in February 2018 along with 110 other girls. Five of those girls are dead and 104 were set free. Leah is the only one who remains in captivity because she refuses to deny her faith in Christ. Time is of the utmost importance for addressing Leah Sharibu’s case as she remains in serious danger and immediate action must be taken to free her before it is too late.
The UNHRC must take immediate and decisive action to put an end to the senseless violence in Nigeria. They must work with the Nigerian government to see that no more innocent lives are lost simply because of their faith. As our submission stated:
It is imperative that the U.N. take swift action and work with the government of Nigeria to ensure that Leah and all others who remain captured are returned home safely, and to put an end to the atrocities being carried out in Nigeria by Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen. Action must be taken to not only stop the spread of violence within Nigeria, but also the spread of violence in west Africa. Boko Haram has already carried out attacks in neighboring Chad, Cameroon and Niger. The UN Refugee Agency estimates that Boko Haram activity in these three countries has created more than 684,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Furthermore, the Fulani herdsmen have killed more than 10,000 Nigerians over the last decade.
Join us as we continue to advocate on behalf of Christians in Nigeria and around the world. No one should have to live in fear because of their belief in Jesus Christ.