Christian Genocide in Nigeria is Real, Says ECWA, Citing Destruction of 19,100 Churches
The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) has emphatically reiterated that there is “evidence beyond doubt” that Christian genocide is real in Nigeria, citing massive statistics on the destruction of churches and the abduction of clergymen.
Dr. Ayuba Asheshe, General Secretary of ECWA, lamented the scale of insecurity during a press briefing in Jos, presenting grim data compiled from various sources, including ECWA’s internal records, Open Doors USA, and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).
The data presented by Dr. Asheshe included:
* Churches Destroyed: A total of 19,100 churches have been burned and destroyed over 16 years, averaging 1,200 annually, about 100 every month, or three daily.
* Clergymen Abducted: More than 600 clerics have been abducted, comprising 350 pastors and 250 Catholic priests, with many killed in captivity.
* Global Killings: Statistics from Open Doors USA showed that 82% of Christians killed worldwide between October 2022 and September 2023 were Nigerians.
* Displacement: Over 3.5 million Christians have been displaced, with their homes and churches burned.
* ECWA Members Abducted: Within ECWA alone, 208 members were abducted between 2023 and 2024, with several losing their lives.
Dr. Asheshe passionately appealed to the government to do more to stem the “continuous attacks, burning of churches and killing of Christians across the country.”
He did, however, commend recent efforts by the Federal Government to strengthen the Nigerian security architecture, stating that these measures, while still in the early stages, “reflected a commendable shift toward protecting the sanctity of human life, upholding justice, and restoring confidence in the capacity of the state to defend its citizens.”
Note: The Nigerian government has previously dismissed allegations of religious genocide, insisting that terrorist groups indiscriminately target people of all faiths and that attacks are driven by criminality rather than religion.
However, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has also publicly reaffirmed its support for allegations of targeted killings of Christians across the country.
