Number of Christians Killed in Nigeria Underreported

(Compass) – Christian leaders in northern Nigeria say a report released in December by the government of Kano state grossly underreports the number of Christians killed by Muslim militants last year. The report states that 84 people died in religious clashes in Kano in 2004. Methodist Bishop Foster Ekeleme, chairman of the Kano chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, places the casualty count at nearly 3,000 Christian dead. “Let us not continue to argue about numbers,” Ekeleme said. “Why should even one Christian be killed?” Religious violence in Kano was provoked by earlier clashes in the town of Yelwa , Plateau state. Those incidents claimed an estimated 350 lives. Meanwhile, intelligence forces have uncovered plans by Muslim militants in Kano to attack Christians and burn down churches in order to destabilize the government and force the observance of Islamic law.