Nigerian bishop decries religious intolerance and persecution

The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) recently reported that in 75% of the 24 countries where it is most difficult to freely practice the Christians faith, persecution increased over the past year.

ACN releases an annual report on Christian persecution and leads the Catholic Church’s observance of  “Red Wednesday”, a global initiative held each November to show support for those believers in precarious situations. One of the worst places is Nigeria.

According to the pontifical foundation, Christians in the West African country continue to suffer at the hands of the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram. More than 7,600 Nigerian Christians were reportedly murdered between January 2021 and June 2022. And for the last several years Catholic priests have been increasingly targeted for kidnapping.

Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna in northwestern Nigeria spoke to La Croix’s Félicien Rondel about the dire situation while he was in Paris for the Red Wednesday initiative.  

La Croix: Can you describe the situation for Christians in Nigeria?

Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso: The situation varies according to the part of the country where you are. In the south, there is no particular problem. Especially in the South East, because this zone is predominantly Christian. Similarly, in the South West zone of Nigeria, Christians and Muslims live together without any problems of understanding. You can find Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional religions living together in the same houses.

It is in the north, where I live, that persecution is concentrated. The emergence of the Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgencies, as well as conflicts between Fulani herders and Catholic farmers, banditry and kidnappings for ransom are the main causes of insecurity.

What type of persecution are Christians suffering from in these regions?

In the last four years, eight priests, several catechists and a large number of faithful have been kidnapped in my archdiocese. Of the kidnapped priests, four have been released, three have been killed and two are still in captivity. The kidnappings almost always have economic reasons: people think that the Church has money and will pay the ransom because the priests live in nice houses. But when terrorist groups, such as Boko Haram or ISWAP, organize attacks against Christians, there is a real religious agenda behind it.

Also, at the governmental level, in these northern states, where Sharia law is in place and Muslims live in the majority, Christians are considered second-class citizens. They do not have the same rights in terms of access to electricity or education. For example, mosques are not only allowed but are built with public funds, while we are denied land to build churches.

All we ask is to be treated fairly. No one should be mistreated because of their religion, ethnicity or tribe.

Given the situation you are going through, what do you expect from the Catholic Church?

We need support from the Catholic Church. Most of the Catholic Churches, including the Vatican, are aware of what is happening, because we have informed them. But our goal is also to communicate about this situation beyond the Catholic sphere.

We are also asking international aid organizations to review their model of engagement and donations to countries in conflict. It is important that there be a certain level of expertise, skill and mastery to access aid.

General elections will be held in February 2023. What are your biggest concerns?

We want everyone to be able to choose who will lead the country. As a church, we have a special responsibility to educate the citizens: we have to take the time to explain the issues to them, so that they will vote. But we are concerned that the elections will not be transparent and that the voice of the people will not be heard. We must avoid at all costs that the results are compromised: we have only been in a democracy for twenty-three years, and that would force us to start all over again from zero.