NIGERIA: THE GATHERING STORM
This week there seems to be a lull in the ongoing violence. A well-placed local organization, Intersociety, has made great steps in their efforts to hold both the previous and new federal and state administration accountable for all the never-ending violence in the country. On 21 June 2023, 7 civilians were
killed when they clashed with suspected terrorists. The civilians, many of them youths, were armed with rabbit guns while the suspected terrorists were armed with automatic AK-47 rifles. According to a report by Intersociety, some 1100 Christians have been killed in attacks since the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu on 29 May 2023. The victims include at least 20 pastors and priests, in an area that covers the north of the country. In Jos on 23 June, three young men were killed while trying to earn a living at a mining camp close to the village of Taniol, Riyom Local Government Area. They were killed three days after another attack by terrorists in which seven civilians were killed on 20 June. That attack was only 30 miles away from a similar attack, which leads some security experts to surmise they were part of a coordinated military operation. A local pastor in Manu says that rising tensions have prompted the evacuation of women and children to safe areas. “our vigilantes also did their best to slow down the attackers even though their
weapons were just hunting rifles and local (homemade single shot) rifles,” says the pastor, who is stationed at the local Church of Christ in Nations, Rev Bulus Daset. The governor of Plateau state, Mr. Caleb Mutfwang had this to say: “What we are seeing is clear orchestrated genocide. What we are seeing is a plan to wipe out numbers of Christians. A situation where people are sleeping in their houses and are killed in the night cannot be said to be a clash.” Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted, also added to the conversation. “The main purpose of the government is to protect its citizens. Nigeria will never succeed as a nation until its leaders’ figure this out. The world is waiting to see what kind of leader Tinubu is.”
Intersociety has filed a complaint against the governor of Southeaster Imo state, and31 other public officials at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, with a charge of “crimes against humanity”. The complaint, that runs 13 pages long, was filed on 19 June. The brief explains the charges in part as “There have been several extrajudicial killings, torture, physical assaults, abductions and other gross abuses of human rights in Imo state, Nigeria, which include but are not limited to: incidences of murder, abduction, extortion, state-sponsored terrorism, persecution against a group or collectively based on its political, racial, national ethnic or religious character, class criminalization and reprisal targeted against unarmed civilians. (The state governor and other state actors) aided and abetted, and are still aiding and abetting, the Imo mass murders and other atrocities as well as grossly conspiring in their perpetration and perpetuation.” The filed complaint argues that the ICC was the correct avenue to pursue this action because of the persistent failure of the Nigerian prosecutorial system, that has recently become an instrument for the perpetration and perpetuation of the crimes. The brief filing is the culmination of action on the part of Intersociety in Nigeria, in an effort to bring more awareness to the plight of civilians who are bearing the brunt of government ineptitude and the recalcitrance of the security forces to actually provide security and protection services for people living in Nigeria. At the end of May, Intersociety sent a letter to various world leaders, asking for an intervention to “bring to an end the ongoing mass atrocity.” The letter called for
an international visa ban and other legal and diplomatic actions against Governor Hope Uzodinma. It has accused the government of Imo and the governor of “having grossly omitted to act and aided and abetted and egregiously and grisly conspired in the mass atrocities.”
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2023/06/nigeria-human-rights-group-files-icc-complaintover-anti-christian-violence
At least seven people have reportedly been killed after an attack by gunmen on the Kerang village, Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau state. This attack happened despite the implementation of a 24-hour curfew that was imposed on the LGA following similar attacks by gunmen that have claimed several loves in local communities over the last week. A local Kerang resident, Mr. Joseph Kabir, confirmed the attacked, saying that among those killed, were a husband and wife. “I can confirm to you that five people, including a man and his wife, were killed by terrorists between 17:00 and 20:00 on
26 June, in Sohen Kerang community, Kerang District Mangu Local Government. We thought that with the declaration of curfew by the government, security agents would be able to stop the terrorists form killing innocent residents. But the gunmen came to the community, which is behind the SWAN Water Company, located at Kerang community by 17:00, firing gunshots which led to the killing of the victims. They escaped into the bush after carrying out their evil acts. It was this morning that the corpses of the victims were discovered by residents who have been thrown into mourning. The victims were given mass burial this morning 27 June.”
https://punchng.com/gunmen-kill-five-in-plateau-community/
Recent Comments