Archbishop blames Nigerian government for continued attacks on Christians

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja said the authorities had failed to address violence against Christians over a long period of time.

The Archbishop of Abuja blamed the persistent persecution of Christians in Nigeria on weak leadership.

In its annual World Watch List report published on 15 January, the charity Open Doors said Nigeria remained the most dangerous place to be a Christian.  It found that 3,100 Christians were killed and 2,830 kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024, far more than other country.

However, a report from Aid to the Church in Need published on 13 January found some improvement in Nigeria, with the number of abductions of priests and Religious down from 25 in 2023 to 11 in 2024.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja said the authorities had failed to address violence against Christians over a long period of time.

“The spate of killings, kidnappings, and destruction of Church personnel and facilities in Nigeria is a continuation of a situation Nigerians have had to deal with for many years,” he said in response to the 2024 reports.

“Catholic priests and religious have been targeted because of their active participation in politics, their efforts to strengthen Christianity, their role in educating citizens about their rights and privileges, and the large ransoms obtained from the relatives of these priests when they are kidnapped. The attacks are not limited to ordained clergy, those training for the priesthood have also been targeted.”

He explained that poor leadership at all levels of government – local, state and federal – had allowed this to continue, with worsening economic and social conditions driving crime and instability. “This reflects in the increasing level of poverty, irrespective of religious affiliation,” he said.

Kaigama argued that despite the incessant attacks on Christians, “the faith is growing by leaps and bounds in Nigeria”.  There are 30 million Catholics among Nigeria’s population of 200 million.

“Despite the threats to priests and religion, vocations are booming, seminaries are full, and there is no place outside of the areas of conflict where churches are closing and consolidating, but rather what we see is an exponential growth at all levels,” the archbishop told The Tablet.

He said that “persecution is part of the DNA of the Church. The Church was born in persecution and the Church will always be persecuted. We will, therefore, not be deterred and we are hopeful that the Lord is on our side and in this spirit, we will keep marching on.”

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