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CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE

For immediate release

December 20 2002

THREAT OF FURTHER ATTACKS OVER CHRISTMAS ON NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS AFTER CHURCH LEADER MURDERED

The murder of a Christian leader in Nigeria has led to widespread fears of further attacks by Muslim extremists on Christian communities over Christmas.

Reverend Bitrus Manjang, 69, recently retired vice president of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) was shot dead in front of his home in Rim, Plateau State, along with one of his sons, his daughter-in-law and a six-month-old child. In all, 17 people were killed during the attack on December 12, supposedly in response to complaints from a farmer who said that Muslim Fulani herdsmen had trampled and destroyed her grain harvest. Many more were wounded and at least 20 houses were burnt down.

Bishop Ben Kwashi of Jos described Rev Manjang as a “peaceful man”, adding: “It is our belief that a subtle war on the church in Plateau State has been declared. The church is suffering a lot and those in authority do not seem able to provide succour, help or protection.”

Christians in Jos and Plateau states are concerned that further attacks will follow over Christmas after reports of threats from extremist Muslims. Christians in Plateau, Taraba and Adamawa states have already experienced attacks in the aftermath of Ramadan.

CSW sources report that anxiety has been heightened by a sudden shortage of fuel on the black market and at petrol stations, most of which are Muslim owned. This is particularly significant since Hausa-Fulani Muslims hoarded petrol during the last major crisis in Jos in September 2001and used it to burn down Christian homes. Many now fear that the present fuel shortage is an indication that petrol is being hoarded for similar purposes.

Since September 2001, attacks on Christian areas in predominantly Christian Plateau State by Hausa-Fulani and other Muslims have become weekly occurrences. During a recent visit to Plateau State a CSW team discovered that in almost every case, attacks were preceded by rumours, threats or threatening letters. It is for this reason that the present rumours are being taken very seriously by local church leaders.

There was a lull in attacks in Plateau State during Ramadan, with only a few isolated incidents being reported. Amongst these was an abortive attack on Christians in Jos on November 17. However, Jos was relatively unaffected by the violence that engulfed Kaduna and touched Abuja following the newspaper article connected to Miss World that was deemed offensive to Islam.

The CSW team that visited Plateau State uncovered evidence of orchestrated attacks on Christian settlements that usually involve gangs of 300 to 600 well-armed Islamic extremists, some from Niger and Chad. The attacks appear to be part of a deliberate attempt to alter the ethno-religious make up of the state so as to facilitate Muslim dominance and the institution of Shari’ah Law in this key state in the Middlebelt. Christian leaders point out that this is part of a plan to fulfill the wish of the late Sultan of Sokoto who was murdered during Nigeria’s first coup, to spread Islam throughout Nigeria and ‘dip the Quran into the Atlantic Ocean’.

During a fact finding visit to Nigeria, CSW team members were repeatedly informed by Christian leaders that the violent events in northern Nigeria should not be dismissed as inter-ethnic conflict and be viewed in isolation. They said the violence was being orchestrated by the same forces of radical Islam responsible for the bombing of the Twin Towers in America, attacks on Christian churches and aid workers in Pakistan, and on the nightclub in Bali, Indonesia.

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said: “Christians in the Middlebelt of Nigeria have long been suffering attacks from extremist Islamic mobs and the death toll is still rising.

“The murder of this prominent church leader has shaken the Christian community along with other threats of further violence.

“The state and federal authorities have a duty to protect Christians from these attacks by allocating sufficient resources so that an impartial and lasting peace can emerge.”

For more information, contact Richard Chilvers at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on 020 8949 0587 or 020 8942 8810 or email or go to http://www.csw.org.uk

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