The narrative that the killings of Christians in Nigeria is a figment of some people’s imagination has been dismissed by the General Secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Dr Ayuba Asheshe, who reiterated that there are evidences beyond doubt that Christian genocide is real in Africa’s most populous black nation.
He lamented that the lack of security in Nigeria has claimed 19,100 churches, 600 clergymen abducted and thousands of Christians killed in Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists in Jos, Asheshe said that documented evidence showed that 1,200 churches annually, about 100 every month or three daily, totaling 19,100 churches over 16 years were burnt and destroyed.
He said further that no fewer than 600 clerics, comprising of 350 pastors and 250 Catholic priests, have been abducted in different parts of the country, with many killed.
He stated that that statistics by Open Doors USA showed that 82% of Christians killed worldwide between October 2022 and September 2023 were Nigerians, while over 3.5 million Christians have been displaced, their homes and churches burnt to ashes.
Reports by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), he said, explained that many Christians have been killed in Nigeria over the past two decades and within ECWA.
In ECWA alone, he said that 208 members were abducted between 2023 and 2024, several of whom have lost their lives in captivity.
He urged the government to do more to curb continuous attacks, burning of churches and killing of Christians across the country.
