INCESSANT KILLINGS OF CHRISTIANS BY ISLAMIC SECTS: A THREAT TO PEACE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

It is no longer in doubts whether there is a hidden agenda of extermination of Christianity in Nigeria by the Islamic sects. The recent incessant public killings of Christians and posting of the videos of secretly beheaded Christians in different social media is clear-cut evidence that these Islamic sects are gradually fermenting trouble in Nigeria. In the recent times, Nigeria’s Boko Haram extremist sect has continued to demonstrate the ability to execute attacks. The security forces and political leaders of Muslim-majority Northern Nigeria are either complicit with Boko Haram’s operations, or they are taking a rather complacent view of its success. A video released by Islamic State on 26th December 2019 which claims to show the killing of 11 Christian hostages in Northern Nigeria threatens to spark religious tensions in the country. The Islamic State sub-group called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) said the “beheading” of the hostages was part of its campaign to “avenge” the killing of ISWAP leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a US military raid in Syria. The findings of this paper have shown that there is declaration of religious attack by Islamic religion on Christianity. Again, the deliberate effort to give religious colouration to the farmers-herders clashes and the Boko Haram insurgency, in particular, has undoubtedly helped to conclude that the government is doing little or nothing to guarantee religious freedom in the country. Therefore, the purpose of this study, is to foretell to Nigerians, especially the government the impending dangers by these needless incessant killings of Christians, it is also an avenue to appeal to the Islamic religious leaders to cease fire on these constant killings in order to arrest impending revenge by those that hate what ISWAP and Boko Haram are doing in Nigeria. Data collection method for this research is mostly secondary data collection. The research concludes with proffering the theory of peace by Johan Galtung and its proper application in Nigeria situation as solution, especially on this incessant killing of Christians in Nigeria.