Sir, – Thanks are due to Sr Kathleen McGarvey for outlining so clearly how Christians in Nigeria are under constant attack (“Christians in Nigeria are under constant attack. Why is so little done about it?”, Rite & Reason, July 4th).
“Why is so little done about it?”, she quite rightly asks.
One reason is that it seems to suit many western governments, including Ireland’s, to accept the Nigerian government’s narrative that the attacks are “clashes” between ethnic groups rather than premeditated murder of defenceless communities by militia armed with assault rifles.
Instead, they could investigate the evidence, beginning with the fact that over 4,000 Nigerian Christians were murdered in 2021 in attacks by extremist Islamic militants.
They could continue by reading the 2020 report of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief on the situation in Nigeria titled “Unfolding Genocide?”
Once apprised of the facts, they could then issue a strong call for the Nigerian government to take immediate and effective action to protect Christians from attack.
The facts are clear, the suffering is ongoing – how long will it be before international action is taken? – Yours, etc,
DAVID TURNER,
Director,
Church In Chains,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.