How The Kaduna State Government Persecutes Journalists Who Report On Genocide

By Christian Solidarity International (CSI)
Steven Kefas is a journalist who speaks out about the killings in Southern Kaduna. © Steven Kefas
Steven Kefas is a journalist who speaks out about the killings in Southern Kaduna. © Steven Kefas

Nigeria Report is pleased to present this original article by Steven Kefas, a Kaduna-based journalist and human rights activist.

"In recent years, Kaduna state in northwestern Nigeria has become an epicentre of unprovoked killings, especially of Christians and other ethnic minorities. In the southern half of the state, hundreds, if not thousands, of communities have been destroyed, displaced and in some cases occupied by AK-47-wielding Fulani herdsmen militias, one of the deadliest terrorist movements in the world.

Amidst the massacre and destruction of communities, the state government led by Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, a Fulani himself, has continued to watch as terrorists take over communities from one local government area to another in the Christian-dominated southern half of the state. In most cases, in fact, the state government has made excuses for the perpetrators of such crimes against humanity. Unfortunately, the mainstream media, which ought to be reporting these atrocities committed against Southern Kaduna Christians, have all gone mute or report on them only reluctantly, often downplaying the extent of the massacres.

I and a few other journalists and activists from the area have taken it upon ourselves to accurately report the atrocities as they occur. But we have found ourselves persecuted for rightly reporting the killings of our kith and kin."

Read the full report at: nigeria-report.org

Nigeria Report is a project of Christian Solidarity International. Its goal is to spread awareness of, and promote solutions for, the widespread sectarian violence afflicting Nigeria.