Christians in Nigeria face death each and every day. While the world community looks on, these Christians are hunted by terror groups and herdsman. However, the question arises as to who exactly is behind these groups.
Up until recently, the majority of attacks against Christians in Nigeria originated from the terror group Boko Haram, however, as of late, and according to Emmanuel Ogebe, these new attacks are coming from a group called Fulanis.
“What we have is a genocide. They are trying to displace the Christians, they are trying to possess their land and they are trying to impose their religion on the so-called infidels and pagans who they consider Christians to be,” explained international human rights attorney Emmanuel Ogebe.
Fulanis are Muslim tribal herdsmen and their weapon of choice in an Ak-47. However, the majority of tribal herdsmen are rather poor, and according to Felix Oisamoje, they would have to sell their entire cattle to afford an Ak-47.
“Given what an AK-47 goes for, a Fulani herdsman would need to sell all of his cattle to be able to buy an AK-47,” explained CBN Nigeria Director Felix Oisamoje.
Ogebe, who has lost family members in Nigeria, says that there is a sinister side to these attacks.
“A lot of these cattle are owned by very rich Fulanis who are in government and who are in power. So, there is a strong belief that the Fulanis, the ruling elite are actually funding the herdsmen to conduct these attacks,” he said.
Incredibly, in Nigeria, it would appear, according to Ogebe, as though sections of the Nigerian government are behind these attacks. The increase in violence by the herdsman is making Nigeria a far more deadly land for people of the faith, even though Nigeria is already the most dangerous place in the world for Christians.
According to the Global Terrorism Index; Fulani Herdsman have killed roughly 60,000 people since 2001. However, this year alone they have killed approximately 6,000 Christians so far.