Taiwo Popoola
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General Secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Dr Ayuba Asheshe, has reiterated that there is evidence beyond doubt that Christian genocide is real in Nigeria.He lamented that insecurity in the country has claimed 19,100 churches, 600 clergymen abducted, and thousands of Christians killed in Nigeria.Briefing newsmen in Jos, Asheshe observed that documented evidence showed that 1,200 churches annually, about 100 every month or three daily, totalling 19,100 churches over 16 years, were burnt and destroyed.He added that more than 600 clerics, comprising of 350 pastors and 250 Catholic priests, have been abducted in different parts of the country, with many killed.Also, the General Secretary stated 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 the 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 appealed to the government to do more to stem the tide of continuous attacks, burning of churches and killing of Christians across the country.He hailed recent efforts by the Federal Government to awaken and strengthen the Nigerian security architecture.
General Secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Dr Ayuba Asheshe, has reiterated that there is evidence beyond doubt that Christian genocide is real in Nigeria.
He lamented that insecurity in the country has claimed 19,100 churches, 600 clergymen abducted, and thousands of Christians killed in Nigeria.
Briefing newsmen in Jos, Asheshe observed that documented evidence showed that 1,200 churches annually, about 100 every month or three daily, totalling 19,100 churches over 16 years, were burnt and destroyed.
He added that more than 600 clerics, comprising of 350 pastors and 250 Catholic priests, have been abducted in different parts of the country, with many killed.
Also, the General Secretary stated 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 the 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 appealed to the government to do more to stem the tide of continuous attacks, burning of churches and killing of Christians across the country.
He hailed recent efforts by the Federal Government to awaken and strengthen the Nigerian security architecture.
According to him, the measures, though still at the early stages, reflected a commendable shift toward protecting the sanctity of human life, upholding justice, and restoring confidence in the capacity of the state to defend its citizens.
