Catholic priest says UN admitting Christians are targeted in Nigeria is ‘long overdue’

Father Moses Aondover Iorapuu said “this sudden admission of systematic killings of Christians in the north and middle belt regions by the UN is not only too late but grossly falls short of the reality Nigerians in these regions are experiencing.”

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YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – For the first time, UN experts have admitted that there are “credible reports of killings, abductions, sexual violence, forced conversion, forced marriage, abductions and acts tantamount to enforced disappearances targeting Christian and other religious minority communities in Nigeria, particularly women and girls.”

In a June 8 release, UN experts on religious freedom say the reports are “deeply troubling,” and explain that the “deteriorating security situation in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt has created an environment in which armed extremist groups, including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and radicalized individual herdsmen involved in the ‘farmer-herder’ conflict continue to operate with devastating consequences for civilians, amid persistent reports of impunity, institutional failures, and inadequate protection by authorities.”

“The testimonies we have received paint a horrifying picture of fear, trauma, coercion and abandonment,” the experts said.

“Victims and survivors must not be left without protection, justice, reparations, including rehabilitation and meaningful support.”

The experts talked about rampant violence targeting Christians and other religious minorities and pointed to the “application of local interpretations of Sharia law in the 12 States of Northern Nigeria, the enforcement of blasphemy codes and the long-standing absence of effective access to justice.”

They said they were “particularly alarmed” at the very specific and heightened risks of discrimination, violence and exploitation that Christian women and girls are exposed to, explaining that they had documented and continue to document “grave cases of sexual violence, abductions, acts tantamount to enforced disappearances, forced conversion and child marriage amongst them.”

Church leaders in Nigeria have welcomed the report, saying however that it was long overdue.

In an interview with Crux Now, the Vicar General of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese, Father Moses Aondover Iorapuu said “this sudden admission of systematic killings of Christians in the north and middle belt regions by the UN is not only too late but grossly falls short of the reality Nigerians in these regions are experiencing.”

Following are excerpts of the interview….

Crux Now: UN experts have released a stark statement detailing “credible reports” of killings, abductions, and sexual violence targeting Christians in Nigeria. Does this UN statement finally validate what the Church has been reporting for years, or does it still fall short of describing the reality on the ground?

Iorapuu: As one who was responsible for the establishment of the first internally displaced persons’ camp (IDP) in Benue State back in 2001, this sudden admission of systematic killings of Christians in the north and middle belt regions by the UN is not only too late but grossly falls short of the reality Nigerians in these regions are experiencing.

However, we feel vindicated by the UN’s admission of the systematic killings of Christians. We have been talking about it in the past decades; our voices have largely remained obfuscated in the denial narratives of the government and the jihadists.

The experts describe the security situation in the North and Middle Belt as creating an environment where extremists operate with “devastating consequences.” Do you agree with their assessment that institutional failures and a lack of political will are largely to blame for the persistence of this violence?

The cardinal responsibility of any government is the protection of life and property. The unwillingness by the government to condemn the killing of Christians as genocide and persecution and its inability to eliminate this threat continues to embolden the attackers, who are steadily changing the demographics of villages once inhabited by Christians. We have remained consistent in describing the attacks and killings of Christians as persecution and genocide.

The UN report highlights the “very specific and heightened risks” faced by Christian women and girls, including forced conversion, forced marriage, and sexual violence. How prevalent are these specific gender-based atrocities?

Prolonged persecutions can lead to many disturbing phenomena where victims become desensitized to their suffering. They may begin to accept their circumstances as an unchangeable reality, resulting in a lack of motivation to seek social or political change. The jihadists or bandits have effectively weaponized sex in all ramifications. All forms of gender-based atrocities, from rape to forced marriages, are rampant, but many of the victims are unwilling to talk about them.

The UN experts stated that “impunity for these crimes only fuels further violence.” In your experience, are the perpetrators being held accountable? Do you believe the Nigerian state is capable or willing to prosecute these crimes?

Christians are killed every day in rural areas where nothing is reported. Unfortunately, we have no examples of radicalized herdsmen or jihadists held accountable for their heinous crimes. In fact, even in the famous massacres in Owo and Yelewata, it is taking the government ages to bring to justice the few suspects in its custody. Obviously, the Nigerian government has no desire to prosecute jihadists.

The experts pointed to the enforcement of blasphemy codes and interpretations of Sharia law in the North as contributing factors to the persecution. Do you believe these legal frameworks are compatible with the constitutional rights of Nigerian Christians?

The many victims of religious violence in Nigeria have testified that their attackers shouted ” Allahu Akbar” meaning Allah is the greatest, a war cry that Khaybar is destroyed, prophesying the victory of Muslims in taking the land and the hegemony of Islam.

The Sharia has no place in the secular nature of the Nigerian society and has been used to harass Christians. No known Islamic scholar in Nigeria has come out to condemn the killings of Christians.

When families are torn apart by abductions or when young girls return from captivity having been forced into marriage, what kind of pastoral and psychological support is the Church currently able to provide?

The Catholic Church in Nigeria at the level of individual dioceses has made provision for pastoral and psychosocial or psychospiritual support for victims of persecution. Some girls who have been rescued and women who have been raped or watched their loved ones massacred, sometimes, for cultural reasons or fear of stigmatization, choose to hide their identities. There’s a great need to intensify efforts that will bring about total healing.