A group of United Nations (UN) human rights experts has expressed concern over what it described as credible reports of killings, abductions, sexual violence, forced conversions, forced marriages and acts amounting to enforced disappearances targeting Christian and other religious minority communities in Nigeria, particularly women and girls.
In a statement issued in Geneva, the experts said the reported violations were deeply troubling and reflected a deteriorating security situation in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, where armed extremist groups and other violent actors continue to operate with devastating consequences for civilians.
The UN experts are independent human rights specialists appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to monitor, investigate and report on specific human rights issues around the world. They are not UN staff and serve in their personal capacities without receiving a salary from the UN.
According to the experts, groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), as well as radicalised individual herdsmen involved in the farmer-herder conflict, have continued to exploit a climate marked by impunity, institutional failures and inadequate protection by authorities.
The UN officials said testimonies received from victims and survivors painted a disturbing picture of fear, trauma, coercion and abandonment, stressing that those affected should not be left without protection, justice, reparations, rehabilitation and meaningful support.
In a communication to the Nigerian Government, the experts said they highlighted multiple incidents, including the abduction and sexual assault of Christian women and the disappearance of girls abducted from a church in Borno State.
The statement was endorsed by Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls; Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on minority issues.
Others were: Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as well as members of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Besides, they listed the forced conversion and child marriage of a 13-year-old girl in Bauchi State; and a brutal attack against a 16-year-old Christian girl whose hand was reportedly cut off after her family rejected a forced marriage proposal by militants.
“The testimonies we have received paint a horrifying picture of fear, trauma, coercion and abandonment,” the experts said. “Victims and survivors must not be left without protection, justice, reparations, including rehabilitation and meaningful support,” they added.
The UN experts noted that violence targeting Christians and other religious minorities remained widespread, citing the application of local interpretations of Sharia law in the 12 states of northern Nigeria, enforcement of blasphemy codes and the longstanding absence of effective access to justice.
The group expressed particular alarm over the heightened vulnerability of Christian women and girls, whom it said face discrimination, violence and exploitation in several forms.
“We are particularly alarmed at the very specific and heightened risks of discrimination, violence and exploitation that Christian women and girls are exposed to, as we continue to document grave cases of sexual violence, abductions, acts tantamount to enforced disappearances, forced conversion and child marriage amongst them,” they said.
According to the experts, these incidents form part of a pattern of violence and persecution disproportionately affecting Christian communities in some northern states.
They also pointed to killings, attacks on churches and villages, mass displacement, mob violence linked to allegations of blasphemy, and severe insecurity affecting women and children living in internally displaced persons camps.
The statement further noted that displaced Christian and other minority women and girls remain especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse, including situations in which they are allegedly coerced into sexual acts in exchange for food or other basic necessities.
They also said some women and girls reportedly conceal their religious identity or wear hijabs as a survival strategy to avoid violence or gain acceptance in areas under the control of armed groups or religious actors.
They warned that if confirmed, the allegations could amount to serious violations of international human rights law.
“If confirmed, these allegations may amount to serious violations of international human rights law, including violations of the rights to life, safety, liberty, security, freedom of religion or belief, freedom from torture, enforced disappearance, slavery and trafficking, and the rights of women and children,” they said.
The experts urged Nigerian authorities to take immediate measures to protect vulnerable communities, secure the release and recovery of abducted women and girls, and ensure independent, impartial and thorough investigations into the allegations.
They also called for the prosecution of perpetrators and the provision of effective remedies and support for victims and survivors. “Impunity for these crimes only fuels further violence,” the experts said. “Nigerian authorities must act urgently to prevent further irreparable harm and ensure accountability for all violations,” the group added.
Emmanuel Addeh
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