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Print this pageNigeria (North)
Twelve northern Nigerian states have imposed Islamic law in the past eight years. Repeated outbreaks of religious violence have erupted ever since, claiming thousands of lives. Muslims accusing Christians of blasphemy led to violence in the Sharia states of Bauchi and Kano in February. We reported five Christians killed, about 20 injured, thousands displaced and several churches destroyed in attacks by Muslims in these states in 2008. Muslim leaders in Kano state have called for a national law against "blasphemy," arousing fear among Christians that they could be put to death arbitrarily. More than 20 Christian girls were kidnapped in Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, Niger and Yobe states. Many of them were abducted with the aim of Islamizing them. At the end of November communal violence broke out in the central Nigerian city of Jos. Police and troops killed about 400 rampaging Muslims, and Islamists put to death about 100 Christians. Six pastors were left dead, 40 churches destroyed and 369 Christians sustained serious injuries. Ethnic and religious tensions were apparently triggered by Muslim suspicion of electoral fraud.
Situation January 2009