{"id":4682,"date":"2022-05-10T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T08:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opendoorsuk.org\/?p=4682"},"modified":"2024-02-14T14:15:36","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T14:15:36","slug":"nigeria-attacks","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/wwl.opendoorsuk.org\/ireland\/blog\/news\/latest-news\/nigeria-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"896 Nigerians killed in violent attacks in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the first three months of 2022, almost 900 Nigerian civilians were killed in violent attacks \u2013 including hundreds of Christians who were murdered because of their faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Almost 900 Nigerian civilians were killed in violent attacks in the first three months of 2022<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s difficult to get your head around how many Nigerians have been killed already in 2022. You might hear about individual events \u2013 like a bomb and gun attack on a train<\/a> in north west Nigeria \u2013 but it\u2019s hard to get a sense of the scale. In the first three months of 2022, 896 Nigerian civilians were killed in attacks by extremist Islamic militants. Not all were motivated by religious persecution, but a significant number of those men, women and children were murdered because they follow Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Islamic militant attacks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The report revealing these figures has been put together by\u00a0SBM Intelligence<\/a>, a Nigeria-based research firm. These 896 people were killed in attacks by Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), militant Fulani herdsmen, bandits and violent gangs \u2013 and this total is only civilians; it doesn\u2019t include members of those extremist groups or people killed because of their job (such as soldiers and police officers). The highest number of fatalities was in the north west of Nigeria, with high numbers elsewhere in the north and in the Middle Belt.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“Nigeria is currently one of the scariest places to be a Christian”\r\n<\/p> ILLIA DJADI, OPEN DOORS<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

While the violence affects everyone, Christians are often particular targets because of their faith. Nigeria is\u00a0number seven on the Open Doors World Watch List<\/a>, and more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined. As one example, at least 20 people were killed or injured in an attack by ISWAP in mid-April. They targeted a market in Iware, Taraba State, because it was \u2018a gathering of infidel Christians\u2019. A week earlier, Fulani militants attacked 10 communities in Plateau State, killing more than 150 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n