Rights Group Concerned Over Upcoming Nigerian Presidential Elections; Main Opposition Candidate Seeks to Impose Sharia Law
(April 15, 2003, 7:45:26 AM) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.www.persecution.org is expressing concern over the upcoming Nigerian Presidential elections to be held on Saturday, April 19. The main opposition candidate seeks to impose Sharia law nationwide. In recent years, Christian schools and churches have been closed and Islamic dress codes have been imposed on Christians in some Sharia-ruled states.
Parliamentary (House and Senate) elections on April 12 were mostly peaceful but at least two-dozen people died in the Delta region. However, religious and ethnic violence have continued to plague the country since current President Obansanjo’s election in 1999. There have been at least 10,000 deaths due to political, ethnic, and religious violence.
ICC urges Christians around the world to pray for peace during Nigeria’s presidential elections. Once election results are finalized, Christians and other concerned individuals are encouraged to contact the new administration to express their support for continued religious freedom, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution, and to urge the administration to bring to justice those who have participated in past violent attacks.
ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness of the problem of persecution in the US Church and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 301-989-1708
