February 2024 Persecution Magazine

“I used to think I would
hide and die in one corner
of my house. I was relegated
to a dark corner, laying
there and waiting for death
to come snatch me with its
cold arms, and that would be
the death of me.” - Saendo
NIGERIA’S UNENDING TURMOIL
Over the past five years, Nigeria’s Benue state has
suffered gruesome attacks by Fulani militants, forcing
approximately 1.5 million people from their ancestral
lands into IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camps.
Saendo is one of 2,000 children residing at the Abagena
IDP Camp in Benue State, which population exceeds
10,000 IDPs. His family was forced to flee their home
after Fulani militants invaded his home.
Nigeria, a nation torn by decades of violence, faces the
harrowing reality of constant turmoil. The central Middle
Belt region, where these clashes over resources, ethnic
differences, and religious disparities prevail, embodies
the epicenter of this unending turmoil. For Christians,
it’s a daily struggle for survival amid disproportionate
killings and kidnappings, transforming their homeland
into a perilous landscape – and often leaving survivors
with no place to call home.
The ones spearheading these attacks, the Fulani
militants, have become radicalized by extreme Islam, to
wipe out Christianity from the region and establish an
Islamic caliphate. Members of the group are ruthless
and uncompromising, killing tens of thousands of
Christians and leaving more than three million homeless
over the last 20 years.
NURTURING HEARTS AND MINDS
Many of the displaced were previously farmers. But
years in the camp with no land or opportunities have
forced these people into lives of obscurity. It’s common
for women to go into town to trade sex for a meal to
bring home. Crime runs rampant, especially in the camp
where Saendo lives. School-aged children wander the
streets begging for food.
“Currently, the rate of education is very low, considering
that when the children wake up in the morning, they
are looking for work, food to eat, water to drink, and to
find firewood,” said Daniel*, an ICC staff member.
Two years ago, ICC equipped volunteers to travel to
these camps, which led to ICC opening a Hope House
for kids who called the IDP camp home. For the first
time in many of these children’s lives, they had the
opportunity for something more. ICC provided basic
school supplies, such as whiteboards, markers, books,
and lesson materials, as well as food and water.
“Hungry children whose parents can’t afford proper
meals can now eat good food every week,” said one
of the volunteers. “Children who have never been to
school have been given the chance to be educated,
which has given them a sense of belonging. Older
women who were not opportune to be educated have
been given a second chance as four have become
dedicated pupils.”
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Persecution | FEBRUARY 2024