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Nigeria: Christmas Eve attack – 11 dead after Boko Haram militants target Christians

December 26, 2020

Christian persecution in Nigeria: the murder of these Christians on Christmas Eve is just the latest in a long line of examples of the gratuitous violence to which Christians in that country are subjected on what is now practically a daily basis.

This crisis has grown in the face of continued inaction from the Nigerian government and law enforcement apparatus. Muslim Fulani herdsmen, as well as the terrorist group Boko Haram, terrorize and kill Christians in Nigeria with impunity. And when they do, there is in almost all cases little or no significant response from the Nigerian government or military. The Fulani herdsmen have made the situation of Christians in Nigeria a human rights catastrophe of immense proportions.

The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, continues to implore the United Nations and the governments of all nations that are committed to human rights and religious freedom to make the plight of Nigeria’s Christians a top priority. The Christians of Nigeria are walking the way of the Cross. May our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ also bless them with the joy of a resurrection and new flourishing of their communities.

For previous coverage of the persecution of Christians in Nigeria from ChristianPersecution.com, see here.

“Christmas Eve Nigeria attack: 11 dead after Boko Haram militants target Christians,” NZ Herald, December 25, 2020:

Boko Haram jihadists killed at least 11 people, burnt a church and seized a priest on Christmas Eve in Nigeria’s restive northeast, local sources claimed today….

Fighters in trucks and motorcycles stormed Pemi, a predominantly Christian village in Borno state on Thursday, shooting “indiscriminately” and setting buildings on fire, said Abwaku Kabu, a militia leader, quoted by AFP and the Mail.

“The terrorists killed seven people, burnt 10 homes and looted food supplies that were meant to be distributed to residents to celebrate Christmas,” Kabu said.

“Four more dead bodies have been found in the nearby bushes by search and rescue volunteers,” local community leader Ayuba Alamson said on Friday. “This has moved the death toll to 11.”

The number of dead is expected to rise as villagers fled and people are unaccounted for….