ICC Note:

The President of Nigerian Catholic bishops’ conference demands that the government “be more proactive” in protecting Christians, primarily those residing in the southern part of Kaduna state. Kaduna lies in Nigeria’s “middle belt,” the area where predominantly Muslim communities intersect predominantly Christian communities. Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama confesses, “We are particularly saddened by the constant and wanton destruction of lives and properties. Yesterday, it was Southern Kaduna; recently, it was Zaki-Biam in Benue State and the other day, it was Ile-Ife in Oyo State…no one knows which community will be the next victim.”

03/29/2017 Nigeria (Christianity Today) – The President of the Nigerian Catholic bishops’ conference has called on the government ‘to be more proactive’ in protecting Christians in the southern part of Kaduna state, where it is said they face ‘structural injustice’. The state lies in Nigeria’s ‘middle belt,’ where the predominantly Muslim north of the country meets the predominantly Christian south.

‘We are particularly saddened by the constant and wanton destruction of lives and properties,’ said Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, according to the Catholic News Service of Nigeria (CNSN).

‘Yesterday, it was Southern Kaduna; recently, it was Zaki-Biam in Benue State and the other day, it was Ile-Ife in Oyo State…no one knows which community will be the next victim.’

The region has seen attacks by Fulani herdsmen – mainly Muslim – on local farmers, who are predominantly Christian, some of whom have reportedly carried out retaliatory killings.

The Catholic church estimated in December that more than 800 people had died in the Kaduna clashes, though the government claims the figure is much lower.

According to Crux, government officials have also tried to insist that there is no religious dimension to the conflict, suggesting instead that it is largely about ethnic tensions.

…