London:

The Commission of Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) has welcomed the European Parliament (EP) resolution that condemned the recent attacks against Christians in Nigeria. Expressing their grave concern over the Christian persecutions in Nigeria, the European Bishops, in their statement, urged the EU institutions to give a more decisive and robust response to Islamist terrorism in Nigeria.

The General Secretary of COMECE Father Manuel Barrios Prieto said, “It should no longer be tolerated that all these crimes remain unaccountable. The Nigerian government has a responsibility to protect its citizens, including systematically persecuted Christian communities.”

“Environmental and economic pressures cannot sufficiently explain the ferocity of the attacks and their coordinated and systematic patterns committed by Fulani Islamist terrorists,” he added.

COMECE called on the European Union to take strong measures in line with its legislation and also to employ diplomatic channels to ensure the protection of all citizens in Nigeria. They said, “In this context, the EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the EU Special Representative for Human Rights could also give a valuable contribution.”

The resolution that the EP adopted on February 8 urged the Nigerian authorities to take action against militant Islamist groups exploiting the farmer-herder conflict. The resolution also condemned the Christmas Eve attacks that took place in Nigeria’s Plateau State, which killed over 335 people, including at least 200 members of Christian communities. It called on the Nigerian authorities for an independent investigation to ensure that those responsible for the attack are held accountable for it.

The resolution welcomed the strong partnership between the EU and Nigeria and called for it to be deepened further in the areas of security, mediation, interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and peace-building.

Global Christian Relief report on Christian Persecution in Nigeria revealed, “In any given year, the number of Christians killed by extremist groups is rarely less than 4000.” It added, “At least 52,250 persecuted Christians have been killed in the past fourteen years, simply for the crime of being Christian.”

Nigeria ranks 6 in the Open Doors 2024 World WatchList, which ranks countries based on the level of Christian persecution. It said, “More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year, than everywhere else in the world combined.”