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[Emoke Greschik]

Archbishop appeals for urgent help to prevent Christian genocide in
northwest Nigeria [image: Archbishop appeals for urgent help to prevent
Christian genocide in northwest Nigeria] Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso of
Kaduna, Nigeria. Antoine Mekary, Aleteia

Diane Montagna

Mon Apr 29, 2019 - 2:38 pm EST

KADUNA, NIGERIA, April 29, 2019 (LifeSiteNews
<https://www.lifesitenews.com/catholic>) — *Hundreds of* *Christians* *have
been killed in recent months and entire ** Christian villages wiped out, as
the international community stands by in silence*, *an archbishop* at the
heart of the persecution in northwest Nigeria* has said in* *an urgent
appeal for help.*

Speaking with LifeSite by phone from his archdiocese in Kaduna on Friday,
April 26, *Archbishop* Matthew Man-oso Ndagoso *said* that *“Christians* *are
being killed like chickens,” and time is running out. *

“*Right now, as I am talking to you, the rainy season has come *a*nd
villagers who provide food for us* *are afraid **to go to their farms* *because
they will be kidnapped, **because they will be killed,” *he said. “So I do
actually fear that if nothing happens between now and the next two months
when people are supposed to be planting and they don’t go to their farm,
only *God knows what will happen to us next year in terms of food
security.”*

Archbishop Ndagoso said he believes the targeted attacks on Christian
villages by Fulani extremists are not only religiously motivated but stem
also from “injustice and impunity.”

He explained that *the Nigerian constitution safeguards freedom and
equality of religion*. But he said *in the northwest states of Nigeria
where Muslims number close to 98 percent of the population, Sharia law
permeates the legal system, and illiteracy rates are high, **Christians **are
“a very tiny minority* *who *unfortunately in the eyes of some *do not
count.”*

*Archbishop Ndagoso is therefore appealing to the Trump administration and
the entire international community **to help the Nigerian government to
ensure security for its people.*

“I have always said: the first duty of every government anywhere in the
world is to protect and safeguard the lives and property of their
citizenry. But I can tell you right now in our country that is not the
case, especially in the northwest. Citizens are being killed like
chickens,” the archbishop repeated.

*The mainstream media* *has been largely silent about the intense
persecution of** Christians **in northern Nigeria.* Earlier this month,
following a string of attacks, Nigerian born pro-life activist Obianuju
Ekeocha tweeted out:

Please can the international media cover the intense suffering and killing
of Christians in my country? Please can celebrities have at least one vigil
(like the one they had for those killed in the New Zealand mosque)? Don’t
Christians deserve vigils too?https://t.co/JgbLlADjnv
— Obianuju Ekeocha (@obianuju) April 7, 2019
<https://twitter.com/obianuju/status/1114834368114102272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Archbishop Ndagoso appealed for urgent help for his people, saying: “Any
person, any organization, any institution that has influence: let this
influence be used for the common good. And right now, let that influence be
used for the common good of Nigeria so that peace may reign in our country.
This is my call.”

Here below is our interview with His Excellency Matthew Ndagoso of the
Archdiocese of Kaduna.

*Your Excellency, can you tell us about the nature of the persecution in
your region of Nigeria and why Christians are being targeted?*

*Nigeria is about the only country in the world where you have more or less
an equal number of Christians and Muslims, of course along with followers
of traditional religions.* That said, *there is a concentration of
Christians in the southern part of the country, especially in the
southeast. There is also a concentration of Muslims in the north,
especially the northwest. *

Our ecclesiastical province of Kaduna is situated in *the** northwest*. It *has
the highest concentration of Muslims; in fact, certain states within the
region are almost 98 percent Muslim. Therefore, in these states, Christians
are a very tiny minority who unfortunately in the eyes of some do not
count. *

Even though our constitution provides freedom of religion, freedom of
expression, and equality of everyone before the law, *Christians** in these
northwest states where Muslims command the majority are not taken
seriously.** Their rights* *are not respected,* because *they are only
tolerated, not treated **as equals.*

It is always very difficult especially as it pertains to the acquisition of
land for the building of churches. You will be surprised to know that *in
some of these states the last time a legal certificate of occupancy was
given for the building of a church would have been during the Colonial era.*
Once the local government knows a certificate of occupancy is going to be
given to a church, you won’t get it. They will tell you to go and follow
the due process — the due process that doesn’t exist. And when you try to
follow it, you won’t get it. So it makes it very, very difficult.

I repeat, *even though* * the constitution guarantees freedom of religion*, *in
these states the authorities don’t respect it.* *That is the kind of
persecution that Christians, especially in the northwest of Nigeria, are
undergoing. *

You don’t normally see* people* *being killed — except by Boko Haram and
the extremists – but there is a systemic persecution **of* *Christians* *in
these states*. The political leaders do not have the political will to
address the issues, to enforce the provisions of the constitution regarding
the equality of religions and the equality of citizens before the law.

*So there is a systemic persecution of Christians arising from tension
between the national constitution and local enforcement of those
provisions. But haven’t there also been attacks on Christian villages by
Boko Haram or the Fulani herdsman? *

Yes. *Since last October there have been serious attacks in **villages*
especially in my archdiocese of Kaduna. *Hundreds and hundreds of*
*villagers* *have been killed. *

It is an ethnic and cultural problem. *The Fulani are animal herders and a
lot of them are not settled. *Unfortunately, over the years the leadership
of the states — which has always, except for a very brief moment, been in
the hands of Muslim leaders — don’t seem to have taken seriously the
concern of people in these rural areas. So*, there is constant conflict,
caused mainly by poverty and ignorance, **between** the Fulani herders* *and
the local people, who are mostly Christian and followers of the traditional
religion. *

This conflict has led to attacks and the burning of so many villages. I can
tell you that* between January and now, more than 10 villages that are
mostly Christian have been burned and destroyed.* There are thousands and
thousands of IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) in villages around the
area whom we are looking after.

*Is it also a religious persecution?*

*The attackers are so-called “herders” and are supposed to be religious*.
Yes, religion is part of it, but I think *the biggest problem is the
injustice* that exists for the local people.  People sometimes see it as
discrimination against them because of their religion, because they do not
belong to the Islamic religion. *The few Muslims that live among them are
provided with amenities, and so they see it as preferential treatment for
the Muslims against the Christians. *

I think truly it is a matter of that systemic injustice that has been
perpetrated for over a century. Since the post-colonial era, most of the
leaders here have been Muslims, and I think not enough has been done to
allay the fears of Christians and followers of traditional religions. That
is why they see it as a persecution against them because of their own
religion.

Essentially, for me, it is injustice and impunity —* people do things
without punishment and they get away with it.* Many villages have been
burned, many hundreds of people have been killed and yet we do not have any
rest.

Unfortunately, local leaders among the Christians and followers of the
traditional religions are the ones who are arrested and imprisoned while
nothing has been done about those who have been killing. This is why people
think it is religious discrimination. This is the reality they are living
with.

*Does your state, like many in the north, live under Sharia law?*

You will recall that *around 2001 we had the Sharia problem *here in
Kaduna. Like it or not, *Sharia law has been applied in so many places,
especially when you go to local courts where the judges are Muslims. Even
though in law there are supposed to be native law courts and sharia courts,
very often in these places you will discover that the attitude is permeated
by Sharia law.*

*Yet in Western Nigeria, Christians and Muslims live side by side in
peace. *

Exactly.* In the Western part*, it is also closely evenly divided between
Christians and Muslims. They have lived very well. I think they have
understood what religion is all about. *In one family, you will find
Christians and Muslims living together. *

*Of course, it is the most educated part of the country. The rate of
literacy in the Western part of Nigeria is very high. Therefore, they have
come to understand what religion is about and they are able to manage their
religious differences. They don’t see it as a problem. They help each
other. It is our hope to one day come to this place.*

*What message do you have for people outside Nigeria, especially in the
West, regarding a solution to the persecution of Christians?*

What I would say to those outside the country is that *all we are asking
for is justice. *

Our constitution is very clear about the equality of citizens. People
anywhere in Nigeria should be treated according to the constitution. I
think it is a big problem that in certain parts of the country people are
blatantly ignoring with impunity the provisions of the constitution and
doing things according to your religious beliefs. I don't think this is
right. In this country, I think we should have one constitution guiding
people equally.

As a Christian, as a Catholic, canon law applies to us when as Christians
dealing with ourselves within the Church. The same thing should also apply
to Muslims. But when it comes to dealing with citizens, I think the
constitution should be supreme. There are places in northern Nigeria where
the constitution is not supreme, and this is why it is leading to
discrimination against others.

*We are signatories to international laws, to human rights conventions, and
our government should be prevailed upon to respect and treat every Nigerian
according to the law. Every Nigerian should be treated equally. *

Unfortunately, the international community knows what is happening, and yet
people behave as though nothing is happening.

*What action would you like the US administration under President Trump to
take — perhaps in the United Nations — to bring pressure on the
international community to address this issue and to help Nigeria.*

Exactly. If I tell you *the level of insecurity in our country today you
won’t believe it, especially among the people in the northwest, especially
in Kaduna. It is one of the states where everybody walks around afraid.
There are kidnappers and bandits and they are killing people. **Villages **are
being burned down.* In other parts of the country if something happens, the
president shows up. But here people are being killed and nothing is being
done about it. All we are asking is that the international community
prevail upon our country.

I have always said:* the first duty of every government anywhere in the
world is to protect and safeguard the lives and property of their
citizenry.* But I can tell you right now in our country that is not the
case, especially in the northwest. *Citizens *a*re being killed like
chickens*.

Therefore, I think the international community should prevail upon our
government to ensure the lives and property of our citizens are protected.
This is what we want. Once security is assured, people can go about their
business.

Right now, as I am talking to you, the rainy season has come and villagers
who provide food for us are afraid to go to their farms because they will
be kidnapped, because they will be killed. So I do actually fear that if
nothing happens between now and the next two months when people are
supposed to be planting and they don’t go to their farm, only God knows
what will happen to us next year in terms of food security. These are
things the international community needs to talk about. Yesterday, our
senate was talking about security. I think not enough — I repeat, not
enough has been done to protect the lives of the citizens and property in
this country, especially in the northwest. This is what we want the
international community to focus on.

*Have any priests of your archdiocese been caught in the violence?*

*One of my priests** was kidnapped. *It happened on March 6th. For the
first two weeks we were hearing from the kidnappers, but since April 8th we
have not heard a word from him. So we are afraid. *We are not even sure
whether he is alive.* Even if he is dead, we want his dead body back so
that we can bury him. It’s over a month now that he’s in captivity so* we
fear that he may have been killed. *

He is not the only one. There are many others in captivity who have been
kidnapped. *Men, women and children** are being kidnapped for ransom*.
Unfortunately, *many have been killed. Sometimes, even after collecting the
ransom they kill the people. *

It is very rampant, and nothing is being done. *People* *feel helpless*.
People are despondent. People *are hopeless.*

*As a bishop, how do you guide your people through this?*

Well,* our religion is a religion of hope, especially as we are in the
Easter Season. The message of Easter is really clear**: violence and evil **do
not have* *the last word. *No matter how difficult the situation is, *our
hope is that our God is always in charge. The victory of Christ over* *sin
and death **is our hope*. No matter how dark the days are, there will be a
daybreak.* That is the message I give my people.* *The worst enemy of every
religion, particularly the Christian religion, is hopelessness.* *If people
lose hope, they feel they have nothing to live for.* So this is my message,
this is my work, this is the difficult path I have now. *Our challenge now
is to keep people’s hope alive,* because if they become hopeless then you
can be sure the worst will happen. *So my task as a religious leader is to
keep hope alive, especially in the face of the victory of Christ over sin
and death.* Evil does not have to last word. *At the end of the day, good
will prevail over evil, and so that is the message that I give to my
people. *

*Is there anything else you would like to add?*

*We need help* in terms of prevailing on our government regarding the
security situation now. *If there is anything the international community
can do to help our government in terms of security because they look
helpless as it is now.* Therefore,* if there is anything anybody can do to
help our government secure security to our country – especially regarding
the insurgency of killing and kidnapping – I think we would appreciate
it. *What
we want is for people to be able to move freely, to have their businesses,
to tend to their farms, to live normal lives, this is what we want for
Nigeria. At the moment, I can tell you this is not the case.

*Any person, any organization, any institution that has influence: let this
influence be used for the common good.* And right now, let that influence
be used for the common good of Nigeria *so that peace may reign in our
country. This is my call.*
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