By Philemon Amos
YAOUNDÈ, Cameroon – A prominent Nigerian human rights organization has released a report alleging that approximately 700 Christians were killed by predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen in May, whom they referred to as “farewell gifts” to former President Muhamadu Buhari.
On May 29, Buhari handed over power to the new President, Bola Tinubu. However, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law published a report on June 12, claiming that Fulani herdsmen targeted and killed hundreds of Christians as a symbolic gesture, bidding farewell to a president who has been accused of promoting an anti-Christian and pro-Muslim agenda during his tenure from 2015 to 2023 in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa.
According to a report compiled by Emeka Umeagbalasi, a Catholic human rights activist and chairman of the organization, the end of the civilian office tenures of Nigerian radical Islamic leaders on May 29, 2023, was marked by a wave of violence perpetrated by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen. The report alleges that during the month of handover, these herdsmen slaughtered over 700 defenseless Christians as a symbolic farewell.
The report, which has been shared with Crux, provides specific details of the alleged killings of Christians in various states. It states that Plateau state accounted for 350 Christian lives, followed by Benue with 190, Kaduna with 100, Nasarawa with 62, Niger with 50, Taraba with 40, and Borno/Yobe with 40, among others.
The group has called for the UK government to take decisive action against serving senior security officers in Nigeria who are implicated in crimes against humanity, genocide, or incitement to such acts. They demand that these officers be barred from entering UK soil or, if they do set foot in the country, be arrested and charged accordingly.
Additionally, the report highlights specific individuals, such as Governor El-Rufai, who hold appointive or elective positions, and suggests that any engagements they have, including academic appointments like the one at Oxford, should be terminated.
The group strongly condemns the UK government for hosting individuals who are known violators and abusers of human rights and promoters of genocide. They argue that it is morally reprehensible for the UK, as a self-proclaimed advocate of democracy and human rights, to harbor or support those involved in grave human rights abuses and violations.