Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo has raised concerns that patterns of attacks on Christians in Nigeria may amount to targeted persecution, urging national reflection on whether the violence fits the definition of genocide.
Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), has alleged that Christians in parts of Nigeria are facing targeted persecution, urging a national conversation on whether the pattern of violence amounts to genocide, according to a report from TRIBUNE ONLINE.
Speaking at a news conference for Christ Compassion to the Rural World (CCRW), Ashimolowo said discussions on recurring killings should be guided by the proper definition of genocide, describing it as “the deliberate and systematic killing or persecution of a large number of people from a particular national or ethnic group to destroy that nation or group.”
The cleric recalled witnessing ethnic violence in the 1960s, saying, “People were being killed right before my eyes… attackers marched through the streets shouting: ‘Tawai,’ meaning: ‘Our eyes are opened.’”
He listed violent incidents over the years—ranging from the Maitatsine crisis to the Zangon-Kataf clashes, the murder of Deborah Samuel, and repeated attacks in Benue and Southern Kaduna—as signs of systematic targeting. “Is that genocide or not?” he asked.
Describing insecurity as “a snake with many heads,” he identified banditry, terrorism, armed herdsmen, extortion, and land displacement as drivers of violence.
Ashimolowo also questioned the lack of stronger judicial responses to attacks on Christian communities, asking: “How can a man who killed and raped now be brought into the military or the Air Force?”
He suggested hidden forces may be sustaining the decades-long unrest.