Nigeria currently accounts for 89% of Christians martyred worldwide, being one of the most dangerous countries to follow Catholic doctrine.

Nigeria – Abuja (07/05/2023 17:02, Gaudium Press) A report produced by ‘The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety)’ revealed that at least 52,250 people have been killed in the country for being Christians.

Religious persecution, violence, destruction and death

According to the document, titled ‘Christian Martyrs in Nigeria’, 1,041 ‘defenseless Christians’ were killed in the first 100 days of this year 2023, from January 1 to April 10. In this same period, 707 Christians were taken hostage.

More than 30,000 of these deaths occurred after President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015. Also with Buhari in power, 18,000 Christian churches and 2,200 Christian schools were destroyed, with little being done by the authorities to curb these actions.

Nigeria is home to 89% of the world’s Christian martyrs

The violence against Christians in the country has forced more than 14 million Christians to flee their homes to avoid being killed. Another 50 million inhabitants, predominantly in northern Nigeria, suffer serious jihadist threats for being professing Christians.

According to some institutions linked to the Catholic Church and active in the country, Nigeria is considered one of the most dangerous places to follow the Catholic religion, being the nation that currently accounts for 89% of martyred Christians worldwide. (EPC)

Compiled by Angelica Vecchiato