Nigeria's Anglican Primate Tells Flock to Defend the Faith from Persecution
Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), called on the laity, especially those in the northern part of the country, to defend their faith from persecution. He added that Christians should be steadfast in prayer in order not to withstand the onslaught to their faith.
At least 53 villages have been overrun in Kaduna state in Nigeria's Middle Belt last year by Fulani herdsmen, a radical Islamist tribe that targets Christian communities. They burnt 1,422 houses and 16 churches and destroyed more than $17.5 million worth of farm produce.
Okoh explained that the oppression experienced by their brethren had been foretold in the Book of Revelation. He advised followers in volatile areas to be diligent in prayer, be watchful of their environment, to stand firm in the Lord, and to follow the example of Christian leaders of old who died defending their faith.
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"They should not sell out but be strong and defend their faith," Okoh said. For his part, Bishop James Olusola Odedeji of Lagos West called on the government to "ensure that lives and properties are protected." He also urged the executive and legislature to work together in unison to save the nation from collapse.
Missionaries converted tribal villages in northern Nigeria in the 19th and 20th centuries. Recently, however, there has been an Islamic revivalism, territorial conquest and religious cleansing in that part of the country. But the government dismissed the attacks as cases of land-grabbing.
Church leaders produced a manifesto detailing the atrocities committed by the Islamist militants. "The herdsmen and their ilk turned the towns into killing fields and killed mostly women, children and the elderly who couldn't run for cover," it said. "The level of barbarity was such that pregnant women got their wombs blown out and massacred before their children. And these innocent children were not spared either," it added.
In 12 of the northern states where the Sharia law has been implemented, Christians faced discrimination and restrictions in accessing community resources, such as clean water, health clinics, and higher education. Many of them have dressed like Muslims to avoid being mobbed.
