I visited Nigeria in 2006 on a Christian medical mission, just months after the first Boko Haram attack—a bombing at Christmas Midnight Mass in the Church of St. Therese in Nigeria's capital city, Abuja.
On Tuesday, as Americans headed to the polls, I called Nigeria to speak with Bishop Wilfred Anagbe in the Diocese of Benue.
Bishop Anagbe has personally witnessed the attacks on Christians: wounded villagers, fatalities, and devastation.
He recounted to me the murder of two priests in April 2018 and, more recently, a mass burial of 40 victims, emphasizing: "As far as this is concerned—I am a practical witness."
European leaders have called the situation in Nigeria a crisis of climate or of herders versus farmers, but Bishop Anagbe insists the crisis is a war of conquest, not a series of isolated incidents.
How weather could cause the 2023 "Pentecost Massacre"—at least 50 parishioners were killed and 70 injured in the attack at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in the town of Owo—is beyond the good bishop's understanding and, thankfully, beyond President Trump's as well.
Last Friday, the President designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern due to the slaughter of more than 52,000 Christians and attacks on more than 20,000 churches by Islamic terrorists. It has been identified as a nation that commits "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom."
That acknowledgement has come after months of lobbying by over 30 religious leaders, including myself and members of Congress such as Representative Riley Moore and Senator Ted Cruz. The U.S. now has the full range of diplomatic levers required to pressure Nigeria for change.
The truth has at last been revealed, and this is an important step in putting a stop to the bloodshed.
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