Christian Persecution in Nigeria: In-Depth

By Carissa Krautscheid

Of the 200 priests serving in the Diocese of Tucson, 24 are from the dynamic, vast, and complex continent of Africa. Many of these African priests serve here as missionaries from religious orders. Eighteen are from Nigeria, a country that we’ve read a lot about in recent news for rampant persecution of Christians and ongoing violence against clergy and the faithful. 

“Around the world, more than 360 million Christians live in places where they experience high levels of persecution, just for following Jesus. That’s one in seven believers, worldwide,” reports Open Doors USA in their annual World Watch report on Christian persecution.

Presently, Nigeria is ranked number seven among the countries with the highest levels of persecution. Although Christianity is the predominant religion in Nigeria, Islamic oppression is cited as the primary source of persecution. “Persecution in Nigeria is, simply put, brutally violent. In much of northern Nigeria, Christians live their lives under the constant threat of attack from Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militants and criminals who kidnap and murder with few consequences. While all citizens of northern Nigeria are subject to threats and violence, Christians are often specifically targeted because of their faith—ISWAP and Boko Haram want to eliminate the Christian presence in Nigeria, and Muslim Fulani militants attack Christian villages specifically” (Open Doors).

However brutal the current situation is, issues in Nigeria are sadly nothing new. To elaborate more on the past and present state of Nigeria, Fr. Richard Kusugh, V.C., shares his perspective as a Nigerian Catholic priest who has served throughout the Diocese of Tucson for the past 18 years. 
 

Father Richard Kusugh, V.C.

The first Nigerian priest to serve in the Diocese of Tucson was Fr. Joseph Nietlong who “paved the way for the rest of us, thanks to the Chancellor at the time, the late June Kellen” recalled Fr. Richard. Then on August 20, 2004, three newly ordained Nigerian priests arrived in Tucson, including Fr. Richard Kusugh. The arrival of three Nigerian priests in Tucson garnered quite the welcome reception at the airport and limited-edition coverage in the newspaper. Trained as Via Christi missionaries, these priests left their home, culture, and hemisphere just seven weeks after their ordination. 

“It was quite an experience to disconnect from home and be here,” said Fr. Richard, thinking about being a missionary priest. “But they're just experiences. You live through it and grow into it, and then you focus on the mission. The mission always is the focus. Once you have that in your focus, then everything starts falling in place on its own. Scripture also begins to play a role in that, and you start remembering Jesus telling his apostles to travel light and go. As a missionary, you know what the apostles went through. You start thinking about Divine Providence and Jesus’ instructions in the Scriptures. In other words, just go and trust you'll be fine. Good people will take care of you. And you know what? That has played out many, many times in my life out here in the Diocese of Tucson. Just go.”

Since then, Fr. Richard has served at St. Bartholomew Parish in San Manuel, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Mammoth, Immaculate Conception Parish in Yuma, Marine Corp Air Station Chapel in Yuma, and Sacred Heart Parish in Parker, including its four Mission churches in Wenden, Quartzsite, Ehrenberg, and Poston. Fr. Richard is now the pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish on the east side of Tucson. 


He explained that the Nigerian priests in our Diocese often gather as a community, rotating between their towns after Easter and Christmas. “We get together and make a lot of noise because we’re Africans. It’s legendary!” he laughed. “It's part of our culture to just visit. Generally in Africa, there is not a lot of heads-up before you visit somebody. Africans by nature are very hospitable because you don't know when somebody is going to show up. You always prepare extra food, because there might be a traveler coming through.”

Now whenever a Nigerian priest is passing by the parish of another Nigerian priest, it’s natural for them to call and stop if they’re available. “It's a way of looking out for each other and that bond just exists naturally. What are the chances the guy is sick? What if I have some problems on the road? Don’t just say hello when you need something.”

The beauty of cultural differences is the potential for us to learn from one other. Perhaps we can all incorporate these seeds of wisdom from Nigerian culture into our own day-to-day lives as well.
 

The Catholic Church in Nigeria

Father Richard comes from the Middle Belt of Nigeria and attended seminary in Makurdi, Benue. The southern, coastal region is rich in oil though its management is historically corrupt. The northern region of Nigeria is predominantly where the Islamic extremists are present.

“Nigeria is a very religious country,” said Fr. Richard, with over 20 million Catholics making up a quarter of all Christians in the country. Churches are present on every other street corner with loudspeakers proclaiming the Sunday sermons. The streets are empty on Sunday mornings because everybody goes to church.

Fr. Richard referenced a time in the early 1960s when Christian missionaries were killed or forced to flee during the civil war. After the war, missionaries returned in full force and evangelized all the way up to northern Nigeria. At last count in 2004, there were 19 major seminaries in Nigeria, over 4,100 priests, and almost the same number of seminarians.

“That’s how the Holy Spirit works,” said Fr. Richard. The Catholic faith was strong in Europe and America, often sending missionaries to Africa. “Now we are missionaries to Europe and America. The Holy Spirit is blowing in a whole different direction right now, finding many vocations in Africa and India. It's the business of the Holy Spirit; we are just called to be a part of it. The way I see it, it’s not human effort. Yes, we pray, hope, and try to inspire but ultimately this belongs to the Holy Spirit. Don't give up; I know that vocations will come back here. Let's keep the faith.”

The “vocations crisis” is the exact opposite in Nigeria where they are struggling to pay to train so many seminarians. At any given time, a diocese might have over 30 seminarians in formation, including early discernment, Philosophy, Theology, and Transitional Deacons. It is common for Fr. Richard’s order, the Via Christi Society, to have over 60 seminarians in formation worldwide.
 

Conflict in Nigeria

“Which one?” asked Fr. Richard. “There’s a lot of conflict in Nigeria, there always has been. Historically there has been a lot of power struggle and no accountability.”

After the British left on October 1, 1916, the chaotic struggle to gain power over the country began. “Regional leaders wanted to stay in power. Even today, the Muslim community feels like they run the country. National leadership has historically been from the north, which is predominantly Muslim. Then there’s the imposition of Sharia Law versus Civil Law, so one half of the country is saying that we do Civil Law and the other half of the country says Sharia Law. Then of course, the religious divide is not devoid of cultural leanings as well.”

Severe military dictatorship overshadowed the mid-seventies through the early nineties. “There was an epidemic of coups, where government takeovers became the norm. The new government brings in new laws to try and take the country in a different direction. Then there’s agitation from other parties and overnight a new government steps in. There were young men who aspired to join the military so they could someday plan a coup and overthrow the government. But things turned around and then democracy came.”

Fr. Richard continued, “When Libya collapsed, it became terrorism for hire. They made their way to Nigeria. There is a faction, Boko Haram, that doesn’t want modern life. They want women to veil, they don’t want schools, etc. And there is also just sheer terrorism: blowing up infrastructure, kidnapping, human trafficking. For some reason in recent time, it's priests now that they're targeting. It's very common for priests to be kidnaped. Some are found and some are killed. Churches and their parishioners are also randomly attacked.”

Some conflicts originate because of geographic conflicts like rights to grazing land. Corruption is prevalent in government and business. “Corruption plays a very vital role in that country and it has become almost the fabric of the nation. Nigeria is a very rich country but resources are very poorly mismanaged by choice. The rich remain rich, and the poor remain poor” so that they will come begging without results. When the next election cycle comes, parties will favor the poor temporarily to get elected.

Nigeria is very rich in oil, “but because of mismanagement, incompetence, and corruption, these refineries have only ever been known to function at under-capacity or with broken equipment. With no personnel to fix them, even though the people voted to allocate money to it, the money just goes out the back door. But of course, nobody’s ever arrested for anything. Nigeria makes crude oil because we don’t have the technology to refine it. For example, if the guy who’s supposed to fix the refinery happens to have a ship, instead he’ll make money out of shipping it abroad.”

Because of the mismanagement and corruption, resources are not invested into updating infrastructure such as energy systems. It’s typical for Nigerians to go a week without power, so locals celebrate when they have electricity. 

Elections are also thwarted often: ballot boxes stolen, set on fire, gunmen at the polls, or “discrepancies” in the voting results that delay an election long enough for someone to remain in power another two years.

Nigerian journalists who may have exposed this corruption were shocked into silence when a journalist was killed for researching and publicizing government facts and figures. “Who else would want to go out and write things about the government? Journalism died that day. People just go about their business.”
 

The Bright Side

“There's always so much going on in Nigeria as a society in general,” said Fr. Richard, “but, ranging from political upheavals, displaced people who have become refugees in and on their own ancestral lands, economic challenges mostly created by criminals running around calling themselves politicians. Despite all that, we always keep our heads up. We are strong and resilient people.

“Even in the midst of poverty and stress, it is still not as bad as it seems. When in such a situation, you kind of get used to it. Nigeria is in the process of campaigning right now for the next election and people see a window of opportunity.

“Nigeria is a very interesting place. It is a very intellectual country with lots of universities. The weather is tropical so there are a lot of outdoor activities. It’s very beautiful. There is music in the streets, food, and social gatherings. Nigeria is very laid back; it’s a feel-good country so you just enjoy your time. I have a lot of fond memories from growing up. The bustling environment, music everywhere. We don’t need permission to shut down the streets for a party. There aren’t as many rules and formalities as there are in the United States. People make their own way. Nigeria is probably the happiest country in the world. Yes, kids go to school without shoes on their feet but they’re still excited and happy. They’re not thinking of all the complexities of a system that’s working against them.”

What can you do?

• Pray for the intercession of Our Lady, Help of Persecuted Christians
  • O God of all the nations, the One God who is and was and always will be, in your providence you willed that your Church be united to the suffering of your Son. Look with mercy on your servants who are persecuted for their faith in you. Grant them perseverance and courage to be worthy imitators of Christ. Bring your wisdom upon leaders of nations to work for peace among all peoples. May your Spirit open conversion for those who contradict your will, that we may live in harmony. Give us the grace to be united in truth and  freedom, and to always seek your will in our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians, pray for us.

 

• Learn about the work done by the Knights of Columbus
  • “From the founding of the Order, the Knights have stood for the protection of Christians around the world. Since 2014, the Knights have provided over $25 million to stop Christian genocide and to serve persecuted Christian minorities in the Middle East and beyond.” Learn more

 

• Check out the World Watch List of Christian Persecution developed by Open Doors USA