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Jane Vandervliet's avatar

"On Average, eight Christians are killed in Nigeria every day for their faith in Christ."

Nigeria is 7th on the list of the most dangerous countries for Christians to live in. Open Doors says,

"Jihadist violence continues to escalate in Nigeria, and Christians are particularly at risk from targeted attacks by Islamist militants, including Fulani fighters, Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province). These increased under the rule of former president Muhammadu Buhari, putting Nigeria at the epicentre of targeted violence against the church. The government’s failure to protect Christians and punish perpetrators has only strengthened the militants’ influence.

While Christians used to be vulnerable only in the Muslim-majority northern states, this violence continues to spread into the Middle Belt and even further south. The attacks are shockingly brutal. Many believers are killed, particularly men, while women are often kidnapped and targeted for sexual violence. More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. These militants also destroy homes, churches and livelihoods. More than 16.2 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, including high numbers from Nigeria, have been driven from their homes by violence and conflict. Millions now live in displacement camps.

Christians living in northern Nigerian states under Sharia (Islamic law) can also face discrimination and oppression as second-class citizens. Converts from Islam often experience rejection from their own families and pressure to renounce their new faith. They often have to flee their homes for fear of being killed.

In 2023, Bola Tinubu was elected as the new president of Nigeria. Although both he and his predecessor are Muslim, the new president has carried out a major reshuffle. This has provided a better representative balance of the two faiths in leadership positions than under President Buhari. It was hoped this would lead to acknowledging the human rights violations against Christians, and to more effective intervention by security forces to protect Christians. However, this did not happen to a tangible extent during the World Watch List 2025 reporting period."

Canada needs to carefully investigate Nigeria before we let any Nigerian government official into our country.

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