The Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria has warned that Christians in his country are facing ‘genocide in slow motion’.

Speaking at the G20 Religion Forum summit of religious leaders in Bali in early November, the Most Rev Dr Henry C Ndukuba said violence against Christians has been growing since 2000, initially from Boko Haram, Al-Qaida and ISIl affiliates and now Fulani Herdsmen militias.

He said: “Nigeria is now one of the most dangerous countries to be a Christian . Thousands of people have been killed by these well-organised, well-equipped, and well-funded extremist groups and over 150 villages have been sacked. There are over two million internally displaced people, and thousands more have been kidnapped for sex and ransom. Churches are now forced to pay millions of Naira for ransom for kidnapped church members, and over a dozen, pastors have been martyred by these extremists. This is of course in addition to the hundreds of churches that have been attacked, bombed, and destroyed. We live daily in great trepidation.”

He added: “Christians in Nigeria simply want the killings to stop and for victims to get justice. We have been working on rebuilding communities, developing educational institutions destroyed by the extremists, and providing food and medical assistance to victims.

“We need you to join hands with us to rebuild our nation. We need you to help tell our stories. We have testimonies and truth of the persecution. We want to rebuild our communities, and as a global Christian family we simply need your prayers and for you to also tell our stories.” 

Read the full address on the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion website, www.efacglobal.com