Nigeria’s Anti-Christian Jihad: 11,500 Dead, 13,000 Churches Destroyed

A new report offers some startling statistics on the devastation wrought by Muslims on the Christian population in Nigeria, with 11,500 Christians killed, a million displaced and 13,000 churches destroyed or shut down in the last 15 years.

The 48-page report titled “Crushed but Not Defeated: The Impact of Persistent Violence on the Church in Northern Nigeria,” documents the extent of Christian persecution in Nigeria due to targeted violence by Islamic extremists as well as other more moderate Muslims. The document was released after extensive on-the-ground research by Open Doors, a non-profit group devoted to assisting persecuted Christians throughout the world.

The comprehensive study reveals that decades of religious violence directed at the Christian community has had an even larger impact on the Church in Northern Nigeria than previously thought. The violence against Christians in the region has resulted in the deaths of “between 9,000 to 11,500 Christians,” which the report calls “a conservative estimation.” A large number of Christian properties and businesses have been destroyed, the document continues, “including 13,000 churches that have either been destroyed or closed down.”

Moreover, according to the report, 1.3 million Christians in Northern Nigeria “have become internally displaced or have settled in other areas of Nigeria in search for safety and security” since 2000.

One of the more frightening revelations from the report is the finding that the executioners are not just from the well-known Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram, but comprise many other more “moderate” Muslims as well.

The sources of violence against Christians in Northern Nigeria are diverse, yet have one thing in common. They are “connected through a common religious denominator: defending northern Muslims’ interests, Muslim identity and the position of Islam,” the report states.

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