How Violence Has Impacted Religious Gatherings In Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria — In recent years, Nigeria has seen a surge in kidnappings and violent attacks. Christians living in the country’s five southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo have said violence has affected their religious lives.
“Insecurity in the southeast affects religious activities. In some places in Imo State, especially in Orsu and some parts of Orlu, [most people] don’t attend church services on Sundays,” said Obi Ugochukwu, a Christian based in Imo State. “Even vigils are like things of the past because movement during the nighttime is not advisable.”
Experts said there are different groups responsible for the violence in the region.
“There are over 20 groups perpetrating violence in the southeast. We have Fulani herdsmen and street criminal entities,” said Emeka Umeagbalasi, founder of the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), a human rights and democracy advocacy organization.
Recently, some of the attacks have been linked to the activities of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, an outlawed group agitating for Igbo secession. In August 2021, IPOB began the enforcement of a weekly sit-at-home order aimed at deepening its support base and pushing for the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently facing terrorism-related charges.
IPOB has allegedly carried out acts of violence to enforce its order on successive Mondays. Besides the impact on health and the economy, this enforcement also has huge consequences for the security of the region.
“It is not only IPOB that is responsible for what is going on, but their activities have contributed to the insecurity in the southeast,” Umeagbalasi said.
However, Ugochukwu said IPOB’s activities have worsened insecurity in the region, noting that individuals who risk coming out on Mondays are exposed to violence and attacks.
“Insecurity in the southeast is surely a worry made worse by the sit-at-home order. On Mondays, you can’t travel in or out of the state,” he added. “My job requires traveling out of the state or within it, and most times, you get stuck on the weekends and can’t come in until Tuesday.”
With this challenge, Ugochukwu said some Christians now operate their businesses on Sundays when they would otherwise be in church.
“They [Christians] open for business on Sundays to make up for Monday,” he said. “You can’t blame them; one has to feed.”
Christianity is the predominant faith in the southeast, an Igbo-speaking region. Usually, the Igbos in all parts of the country return home during the holidays, like Christmas and Easter, to reunite with their families and also attend church.
However, Ugochukwu said this practice is rapidly changing. He blamed the low active participation in religious activities on the insecurity in the region, which has created fear in the minds of many.
“For about five years now, my extended family has not returned for the holidays. It's frustrating, to say the least,” Ugochukwu said. “I could also travel to my village anytime in the past, but not anymore.”
Clergy the focus of attacks
Meanwhile, religious leaders have also been targeted in various attacks by unidentified gunmen.
For example, on the evening of Dec. 26, 2024, a Catholic priest and pharmacist, Tobias Okonkwo, was shot dead while driving on the Onitsha-Owerri highway in Ihiala by a group of unidentified assailants.
Also, two nuns from the Sisters' Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ in Anambra State were abducted on the evening of Jan. 7. They were later released.
However, Nigerian security personnel have been accused of committing atrocities against unarmed citizens in the region.
According to a December 2024 report by Intersociety, the Nigerian military, police and vigilante groups have targeted innocent citizens under the guise of operations against IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
They “secretly massacred 22,500 unarmed civilians and openly killed 9,800 others in the past nine years … during which tens of thousands were unlawfully detained and tortured; over 6,000 blindfolded or face-bagged and bundled at late night from the east and dumped uninvestigated and untried in secret military locations and prisons in seven northern states” in the country, the report said.
“We prepared that report to serve as a reference point regarding the insecurity in the southeast,” said Umeagbalasi, who works as a criminologist.
Last December, during a Mass on New Year’s Eve at St. Columba’s Parish Amaimo in Imo State, Nigerian Catholic priest Joseph Enyiaka allegedly shot a boy dead after the boy set off firecrackers on church premises.
The incident, which happened some weeks after the Nigeria Police Force reiterated its enforcement of the ban on firecrackers often set off during Christmas and New Year celebrations, immediately sparked reactions. While many accused and blamed the priest for his inability to control a crowd and for having a gun, others said the priest’s action may have been out of fear or self-defense, especially given the cases and violent activities of unidentified gunmen recorded in the region.
However, witnesses said the priest’s action wasn’t deliberate.
“It is a case of accidental discharge. The priest was said to have warned the firework-throwing lads repeatedly not to do their business within the church, and when they continued, he went in and picked up his gun, a double-barrelled gun, and fired a warning shot in the air. But the unfortunate young boy was hit when the priest was lowering his hand, not knowing that the bullets in one of the barrels had not emptied at the first shot,” according to a local media report, quoting a witness.
Reacting to the incident in a Jan. 2 statement, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri Archdiocese said, “The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri highly regrets the shooting incident that took place on the eve of the New Year at the premises of St. Columba’s Catholic Church Amaimo, leading to the death of a young man and the wounding of another. The Archdiocese of Owerri condoles with the bereaved family, and prays for the happy repose of the dead and the speedy recovery of the injured.”
The priest was subsequently arrested, but there has been no update yet, as the Imo State Police Command’s public relations officer, Henry Okoye, did not respond to a request for comment.
Chibuike Uba, a pastor in Enugu State, said the church cannot win the fight against insecurity without the full support of the government.
“There are things the church would do, but it will also have its limitations. The church can’t do everything without government backing,” Uba said. “The government should support and provide an enabling environment for religious groups that go about their worship and fellowship in a peaceful way. At the end of the day, if their activities are positive, it will help build the society further.”
Ekpali Saint is a freelance journalist based in Nigeria and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged.