Nigeria, Christianity, and the Nation State
Nigeria is a multinational state with multiple religious practices. According to Open Doors, Christians make up 46% of Nigeria’s population; this is almost half of the 211.5 million people who live there. Despite this, many Christians are persecuted for their beliefs. More specifically, the persecution is often perpetuated by Boko Haram. Boko Haram first emerged in the beginning of the 2000’s in Northeastern Nigeria among the Kanuri ethnic group and its neighbors. The Kanuri were an ethnic elite who ruled a multiethnic Muslim state which was known as the ‘Kanem-Bornu Empire’. This empire lasted for over 900 years and a belief of the Madhi, a spiritual figure who is expected to arrive and promote justice, was central to their faith. Since the resurgence of Boko Haram in 2009, the persecution of Christians has increased. Boko Haram and other groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), and Fulani terrorists are targeting Christians and their faith. So why is this? Boko Haram, which means ‘Western education is a sin’ in Hausa, does not accept the intersectionality between Islam and western faiths – including Christianity. Their aim is to purge the corruption of Christianity from Northern Nigeria and to reinstate a cleaner version of Sharia law. While Sharia law is already part of Nigeria, today it is seen as corrupt by the standard of Boko Haram. Due to this, Boko Haram and other groups are targeting churches, pastors, and Christians in their homes and neighborhoods.
The persecution of Christians
According to Genocide watch, Nigeria is one of the worst countries in the world for the persecution of Christians. Since the beginning of Boko Haram, more than 45,000 Christians have died. Between the months of January 2021 and March 2022, more than 6,000 Christians have been killed; 5,191 of which were unarmed citizens. During 2021, over 3,800 people have been abducted in Nigeria alone. In September 2022, Fulani terrorists kidnapped a pastor and killed a member of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Plaeau state, Nigeria. On September 7th, Fulani herdsmen were suspected of attacking a mainly Christian community. This involved the shootings and wounding of Christian women. For this reason, the World Watch List has named Nigeria as the 7th most difficult country to be a Christian. This has jumped from its previous position of being the 9th in 2021. While most of these attacks are happening in the North of Nigeria, there are many attacks that are taking place in the South. Fulani Militants as well as other groups have settled in the southern forests. This is to make it difficult for Christians to access their farmlands and livelihoods.
Democracy in Nigeria
According to Freedom House, a NGO that aims to stand up for human rights as well as promoting democratic change, Nigeria is ranked on the democratic scale as 43/100 or partly free. This ranking is split into two categories; Political rights (20/40) and Civil liberties (23/40). Under the overview of this report in section D2 ‘Are individuals free to practice and express their religious faith or nonbelief in public and private?’ This scored only ¼. This low ranking is due to the government's struggle with Boko Haram and other groups. In response to the rise of these groups, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) was created by locals in 2013 in Borno State, north east Nigeria. The goal of this task force is to promote peace, security and protect local communities from attacks by Boko Haram. Since their creation, there are now over 26,000 members. While the CJTF are protecting local communities against Boko Haram, concerns were raised over the level of criminality against civilians. This included but is not limited to harassment, sexual exploitation, and the active recruitment of child soldiers. In Nigeria, Children are considered children until the age of 18. In 2017, an agreement was signed by the CJTF with the United Nations Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting to end the recruitment of child soldiers. Since then, over 2,000 child soldiers have been identified and have been released since then. Many children have since been enrolled in a formal education and psychosocial support has been provided by UNICEF.
Addressing the question of security
The Nigerian government and the CJTF have implemented the CJTK to counter Boko Haram. With increasing attacks on Christians and the security risks, the state government and many communities have turned to vigilante groups for protection and security. While this attempts to address the situation, it is not a long term practical solution. While this can add to the security risks already present, for now they address the current concerns for protection against Boko Haram and other groups.