ICC Note:
A Christian leader in northern Nigeria blames local government elites in the region for taking part in persecuting Christians. Nigerian media report that Rev. Jeremiah Gado from the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Jos says several majority-Christian villages in northern Nigeria are denied access to basic government services such as access roads, healthcare, education, and political representation, among others. While these particular claims remain unconfirmed, these forms of persecution are common in the area.
By Lami Sadiq
3/18/2015 Jos, Nigeria (AllAfrica) – The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) yesterday accused northern leaders of hiding under Sharia law to discriminate against Christians in the region as well as deny them access to government services.
ECWA President, Rev. Jeremiah Gado, while addressing the General Church Council (GCC) at the ECWA International Conference hall in Jos, said the level of persecution of Christians in Northern Nigeria was second to none in Africa, stressing that the lives of Christian leaders in the North were constantly under threat while some northern ruling elite “hide under Sharia law to discriminate against Christians. Properties of Christians.”
Rev. Gado, who took a swipe at the Kebbi State government said: “a typical example is in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, where the only parcel of land allowed for the Christians to build churches is denied access road.”
He said: “ECWA is worst hit by this systematic religious and ethnic cleansing in the North. The level of persecution of Christians in Northern Nigeria is perhaps second to none in Africa.
…
