A non-governmental organization, the Christian Rights Agenda (CRA), has raised an alarm over the unending wave of violent attacks in Plateau, Borno and Benue States, revealing that so far, more than 80 communities in the three states have fallen under the control of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.
The CRA, in a statement issued on Sunday by in Jos by its Secretary-General, Rev Kallamu Musa Dikwa, said his team has been closely monitoring the situation, lamenting the recent spate of violence as a coordinated effort by insurgents to impose terror, religious intolerance, and complete anarchy in the affected states.
Rev. Dikwa disclosed that the organisation has deployed teams to Benue, Plateau, and Borno states to gather first-hand evidence of the growing humanitarian disaster facing Christian communities.
“Preliminary reports have confirmed that over 80 communities have already been seized by terrorists, leaving a trail of death, destruction, and mass displacement in their wake,” the CRA said in the statement.
“The current attacks are systematic, organised, and aimed at wiping out entire Christian communities,” Rev. Dikwa stated, while warning that Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads if urgent action is not taken by the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government.
‘While we commend Mr President for issuing new marching orders to security agencies to curb the violence, CRA however, cautions that such directives must not be merely cosmetic.
“There is the need for strict implementation and accountability; security personnel who fail to deliver on their duties must be sanctioned to prevent further sabotage.
“It is no longer acceptable to downplay the gravity of the situation. Communities are being wiped out. Children, women, and the elderly are being slaughtered.
“Homes are burnt to ashes. It is genocide, and it must be called by its real name,” the CRA stated.
The organisation said it is compiling a comprehensive database of the attacks to expose the ongoing persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria, vowing to keep the international community informed of the deteriorating situation and warned that unless urgent and decisive measures are taken, the number of communities falling under terrorist control could multiply, further destabilising the region and plunging Nigeria into deeper sociopolitical crises.
The organisation further criticised state governors for what it described as “politicising the killings”, calling on them to be courageous enough to address the root cause of the violence without hiding behind political rhetoric.
