Nigeria – December 26, 2023: In a devastating turn of events, two distinguished US presidential award-winning humanitarians, Dr. William Devlin (2022) and Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq (2009), expressed profound sorrow over the horrific atrocities inflicted on Nigeria’s Christians during this Christmas season.
The pastor and lawyer attended the 12th-anniversary commemoration of the 2011 Christmas day bombing of St. Theresa’s Church in Madalla, only to be confronted with new attacks this Christmas that claimed nearly 200 lives.
Plateau state Governor Caleb Mutfwang reported that this “terrifying Christmas” was marked by well-coordinated attacks, involving heavy weaponry that ravaged 17 villages, resulting in the deaths of over a hundred Christians across three provinces.
“Monitoring the 2011 Christmas atrocities from the US, I witnessed coordinated attacks in Yobe, Plateau, and Niger states, claiming hundreds of lives, with my cousins barely surviving. 2023 marks the deadliest Christmas since 2011,” remarked Nigeria expert and human rights advocate Emmanuel Ogebe.
“This Christmas Eve also marked the 20th anniversary of Boko Haram’s terror campaign. Now, the Fulani killer militia has perpetrated their own Christmas terror massacres, rivaling their triple-digit slaughters in Benue (New Year’s day) and Plateau states (June) 2018,” added Ogebe, Special Counsel for the Justice for Jos Project, which has been documenting and investigating atrocities since 2010.
Dr. Devlin, Volunteer CEO of Widows & Orphans USA, expressed deep concern, stating, “What I am witnessing here in Nigeria is genocide on steroids, but the world isn’t paying attention. Our plans to help rebuild are held up by the continuous cycle of bloodletting since our June visit to Plateau state. The scale of humanitarian aid required can’t keep up with the ongoing devastation.”
Shocking statistics reveal that more Christians have been killed in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined for 11 out of the last 12 years, according to data from World Watch Monitor & Justice for Jos Project. On average, a Christian is killed every two hours, making Nigeria the deadliest country for Christians. Notably, the US government, under President Biden, has excluded Nigeria from an annual religious freedom review and sanctions regime required by the International Religious Freedom Act.
The humanitarian duo, on their 15th relief mission to Nigeria post-COVID, emphatically stated, “Very few things on the planet show America’s betrayal of the present-day martyrs of the Christian faith than the inaction, non-recognition, and, in fact, active suppression of the harsh reality of death, death, and more death in Nigeria. It’s past time to end the blood torrents of innocents.”
Ogebe highlighted the double travesty faced by Nigeria’s Christians, devoured in life and ignored in death. He expressed deep concern about the massacres by the Fulani terror militia, emphasizing that credible sources revealed security forces had intelligence on the impending attacks 12 hours ahead.
In a disturbing turn of events, the Fulani terrorists recorded their atrocities and posted them online, possibly indicating collaboration with the media-savvy ISIS West Africa and Hamas. Ogebe urged INTERPOL to investigate this matter, citing a history of collaboration between Boko Haram and Fulani killer militia in Plateau state.
Regrettably, just as with Boko Haram initially, the world, including the US, fails to recognize the barbaric acts of the Fulani militia as terrorism, according to Ogebe.
On Christmas Eve, further tragedy struck as a Catholic Church in southeast Nigerian Ebonyi state was attacked, resulting in the loss of worshippers. This incident expanded religious violence beyond the notorious northern hotbed, putting it on par with the infamous 2011 multi-state attacks.
Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq – Justice for Jos Project
Dr. William Devlin – Widows & Orphans
