258 Northern Christians slaughtered in 7 days, 1,296 in 66 days – Intersociety

A rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety, on Monday, observed that Christians living in the Northern part of Nigeria are at greater risks of being killed by the Boko Haram Sect. The group said over 258 Northern Nigerian Christians have been killed by the deadly sect within the last seven days, with the aim to eliminate Christians in the entire Nigeria and imposing Islamic Religion on Nigeria.

In a statement signed by the chairman, Board of Trustees of the organization, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi and released to journalists in Awka, Intersociety alleged that the ethno-religious cleansing campaigns launched in July 2009 was also targeted at forcing the federal authorities in the country to return the presidency to core northern Muslims.

The group said the likes of Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwamkwaso, Governor of Kano State, openly told the AFP that “the injustices meted out to northern Muslims by a Christian President fueled Boko Haram insurgency, while other leading northern Muslim politicians have also not hidden their support and sponsorship of Christian blood-for-northern presidency campaigns”.

The release read in part: “On 29th and 31st May as well as 6th and 7th of June, 2014, we wrote graphically grounded and expository four-part letter to President Goodluck Jonathan on Boko Haram terror and internal and external solution mechanisms available at his disposal.

“Part of the letter indicated that in 66 days (April to first week of June), Nigeria lost 1,296 innocent citizens to Boko Haram terror campaigns. Most of the causalities are northern Christians, followed by Igbo-Christians.

“Our recent checks have clearly indicated that between June 23 and June 29, 2014, a period of seven days, at least 258 citizens, mostly northern Christians, have been murdered by the Boko Haram and the Islamic Fulani terror sects”.

The group wrote further that, “Like we earlier observed, the ongoing ethno-religious cleansing is carefully planned and executed against Christian populations in northern Nigeria.

“At the beginning of the bloody campaign in 2009, many of the causalities were Igbo-Christians owing to their large numbers in northern parts of the country. When many members of the Igbo tribe resident in the north, relocated to southern parts of the country for safety reasons, the Boko Haram butchery weapons were turned on innocent minority Christian populations”.

Intersociety said the killings were insensitive, and that the only Muslim victims of the terror campaign were very minute and usually killed in bomb blasts targeted at Christian populations and government facilities.

It called on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria, the Anglican Communion in Nigeria and all the Pentecostal churches in the country to take note of killings and maiming of innocent Christian populations in the country.

“We know as a fact that the Holy Catholic Church, by virtue of her Holy Vatican Blessed Land or The Holy See, is a noble member of the United Nations. Her voice at the UNO over the systematic killings of her sons and daughters in the country will count and prompt more soluble actions.

“The Holy Anglican Communion in Nigeria still has influence over the UK Government and the Pentecostal bodies in the country have strong affiliations with their brother and sister bodies in the United States of America. The proactive collective voices of these hallowed bodies are direly needed in the ongoing butchery in Nigeria”.