Nigeria at the Crossroads

NIGER

LAKE

CHAD

STATE

SOKOTO

CHAD

SOKOTO

KATSINA

KOMADUGU

ZAMFARA KATSINA

JIGAWA

BIRNIN KEBBI

BORNO

YOBE

GUSAU

KANO

MAIDUGURI

DUTSE

DAMATURU

CONFL

KANO

KEBBI

TIGO DAM

KADUNA

ARME

BAUCHI

KADUNA

GOMBE

BAUCHI

KAINJ RESERVOIR

BENIN

GOMBE

NIGER

JOS

ADAMAWA

MINNA

NIGERIA

YOLA

ABUJA

KWARA

PLATEAU

JALINGO

FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY

LAFIA

ILORIN

NASSARAWA

OYO

TARABA

EKITI

LOKOJA

OSHOGBO

KOGI

IBADAN

MAKURDI

ADO-EKITI

OSUN

BENUE

AKURE

CAMEROON STATES OFFICIALLY INTRODUCED ISLAMIC LAW MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO MILITANT ISLAMISTS Militant Islamists Conficts between farmers and herders Armed bandits and criminal violence CONFLICT BETWEEN FARMERS AND HERDERS States with islamic law

ABEOKUTA

OGUN

ONDO

EDO

ENUGU

IKEJA

LAGOS

NIGER

ABAKALIKI LAKE

CHAD

AWKA

BENIN CITY

ENUGU

SOKOTO

ASABA

EBONYI

CHAD

ANAMBRA

SOKOTO

BIGHT OF BENIN KATSINA

CROSS RIVER

KOMADUGU

ABIA

DELTA

ZAMFARA KATSINA

UMUAHIA

JIGAWA

BIRNIN KEBBI

BORNO

YOBE

OWERRI

GUSAU

AKWA IBOM

KANO

MAIDUGURI

CALABAR

GULF OF GUINEA

DUTSE

RIVERS DAMATURU

YENAGOA

KANO

UYO

KEBBI

North-South Axis

BEYELSA

TIGO DAM

PORT HARCOURT

© Aid to the Church in Need, 2023 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is visible acknowledged. ARMED BANDITS AND CRIMINAL VIOLENCE

KADUNA

BIGHT OF BIAFRA

BAUCHI

KADUNA

GOMBE

BAUCHI

KAINJ RESERVOIR

IN

NORESTE HAUSA – FULANI

GOMBE

NIGER

JOS

ADAMAWA

MINNA

ABUJA HAUSA-FULANI North-West

KANURI North-East

JUKUN Central-East

TIV South-East

IGBO Central-South

YORUBA South-West

NIGERIA

NOROESTE KANURI

YOLA

KWARA

PLATEAU

JALINGO

FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY

CENTRO OESTE JUKUN

LAFIA

ILORIN

NASSARAWA

CAMEROUN

OYO

TARABA

SUR OESTE TIV

EKITI

LOKOJA

OSHOGBO

3. Overview of recent conflicts BENUE KOGI EDO ENUGU EBONYI ASABA AWKA ENUGU ABAKALIKI MAKURDI CENTRO SUR IGBO SURESTE YORUBA

IBADAN

ADO-EKITI

OSUN

AKURE

ABEOKUTA

OGUN

ONDO

EJA

LAGOS

BENIN CITY

ANAMBRA

HT OF BENIN

CROSS RIVER

ABIA

ACN has been highlighting the plight of Christians in Nigeria for many years, with growing concern, and has singled the country out as one of the most dangerous for Christians in the world. The Global Terrorism Index 2022 ranked Nigeria in 6th place (after Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Burkina Faso, and Syria) and in the Global Peace Index 2022 it ranked 143rd out of 163 countries. Nigeria’s long-standing security challenges are immense and varied in terms of reasons and geography. The situation has become increasingly complicated over the past ten years. An important driver in all cases is the poor social, cultural and edu- cational condition of the Nigerian population, as well as political mismanagement and corruption. But there are religious and ethnic implications in some of the conflicts as well. According to Church leaders, the Government has failed to take appropriate action to stem interreligious and interethnic crimi- nality. DELTA YENAGOA UMUAHIA OWERRI PORT HARCOURT UYO CALABAR BIGHT OF BIAFRA BEYELSA RIVERS AKWA IBOM

“The government has failed us completely; it is the absence of good government that is causing this. Bandits, Boko Haram, kid- nappings, these are all symptoms of injustice, of the corruption that is in the system. Our leaders steal our money and take it to the West. Unless we can get to the root of the issue, we will be fighting a losing battle” , said Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, Archbishop of Kaduna. When speaking about violence and conflicts in Nigeria, it is im- portant to understand the different conflicts and the areas of impact. Attacks in Nigeria come from many different directions, and it is often difficult to understand the limits between outright persecution, Islamic extremism, historical ethnic rivalries, and simple banditry. FRONTERA

LF OF GUINEA

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