Nigeria has been ranked among the worst persecutors of Christians in the International Christian Concern (ICC) 2023 report. Nigeria has not yet been named a “Country of Particular Concern” by the U.S. Department of State.
Nigeria may be the most dangerous country in the world for Christians, according to the report, which paints a frightening picture of the threats they face in the country.
“Nigeria is arguably the most dangerous place to be a Christian in the world today,” the report said.
In the four months from March to July, there were 55 attacks in Nigeria that claimed the lives of 549 Christians, according to the ICC report.
Along with the August massacre of over 20 people in a Plateau State village by radical militants, it also brought attention to the burning of a Catholic seminary and the death of a seminarian in Kaduna State.
Terrorist organisations like Boko Haram, which has killed over 38,000 people in the last 12 years, and the implementation of Sharia law in 12 northern states are largely to blame for the persecution.
The study further declares that “Whether the world acknowledges the plight of Nigerian Christians or not, the country has become a burial ground for Christians.”
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICC) designated Nigeria as one of nine nations that oppress Christians. North Korea, India, Pakistan, China, Iran, Eritrea, Algeria, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan are among them.
The study finds commonalities between these countries in terms of severe legal constraints, violence, forced labour, and religious repression.
cc: Vanguard Ng
