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Persecution News - Nigeria

Nigeria Profile

Total Area:
923,768 sq. km

Population:
138,283,240 (July 2008 est.)

Ethnicity:
Nigeria is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

Language:
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Religion:
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, Indigenous Beliefs 10%

Government Type:
Federal republic

Capital:
Abuja

Population Below Poverty Line:
70% (2007 est.)

Country Reports

Spurned Love Sparks Violence

February 13, 2008

^{Designated photo from}

^{Compass Direct}

Five church buildings were destroyed, several people injured, and the homes of a number of Christians burned in violence in Yana, Bauchi state, Nigeria on February 2, according to a February 12 report from Compass Direct. On the evening of February 1, Patience Yusuf met with an unidentified Muslim man outside her home upon his request. The man told her that he wanted to befriend and marry her but Yusuf refused him. The man begged her "in the name of God and his apostle, Muhammad," to become his girlfriend. Yusuf again refused, saying: "You are pleading in the name of a person I do not know. Jesus I know, but Muhammad I do not know." The man left and later that night told friends and neighbours that Yusuf had blasphemed against Muhammad.

The next morning, he led a group of Muslims to Yusuf's house to confront her. She escaped to the local police station for protection but the mob followed her and demanded that she be killed for her alleged crime in accordance with Islamic law. When the police refused to give her up, the Muslims attacked the officers and burned down the station. Shortly afterwards, hundreds of armed Muslims rioted in the streets, attacking and injuring several Christians. Buildings belonging to the Evangelical Church of West Africa, the Church of Nigeria, the Apostolic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Church of Christ in Nigeria were destroyed. Approximately 1,000 people were reportedly displaced in the violence.

Pray that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable and that justice will be fairly administered. Pray for those who must now rebuild their churches and homes in the wake of the violence. Pray that Christians in Yana, Nigeria will find strength in the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, go to the Nigeria Country Report.