By BONIFACE AKARAH

International human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe has accused the international community of failing to adequately respond to years of deadly attacks against Christians and other victims of terrorism in Nigeria, saying the scale of the violence has not attracted sufficient international action.

Ogebe spoke in an interview with David Cohen, president of the Common Bond Alliance, released to mark the United Nations International Day for Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief on August 22.

Citing figures attributed to Open Doors, an international organisation that monitors Christian persecution, Ogebe said 3,490 Nigerian Christians were killed in faith-related incidents during its most recent reporting period.

“That was 72% of all such killings of Christians worldwide,” Ogebe said.

He argued that the killings have persisted for years, with Nigeria accounting for a disproportionately large share of reported faith-related deaths among Christians globally.

“One of the first things you can do is sustain the pressure,” Ogebe said, urging Americans to contact their lawmakers over proposed measures concerning Nigeria.

The lawyer was particularly critical of the United Nations’ response, pointing to the recent visit to Nigeria by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

According to Ogebe, victims and evidence were presented ahead of the visit, but he said the rapporteur subsequently concluded that there was no genocide in Nigeria.

“So, the U.N. hasn’t been particularly helpful in recent times,” he said.

Ogebe also questioned the effectiveness of international justice mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, in pursuing alleged atrocities committed in Nigeria.

He said previous efforts to secure prosecutions had failed to produce meaningful results despite years of violence.

“We have not had any traction in getting actual prosecutions for the atrocities that have been going on all this while in Nigeria,” Ogebe said.

He further criticised the focus of recent United States counterterrorism operations in Nigeria, arguing that greater attention should be paid to attacks he attributed to armed Fulani militias.

“My fear right now is that, like I said, the U.S. has come into the situation, but they’re focused on ISIS and not on the Fulani militia, who are doing most of the killings,” he said.

Ogebe claimed that 80 per cent of killings recorded between Christmas and the end of April were linked to Fulani militia, compared with 15 per cent associated with ISIS.

The figures and Ogebe's characterisation of the attacks are claims made during the interview and were not independently verified from the material provided.

He nevertheless called for sustained international pressure, humanitarian assistance and greater public awareness of the violence, arguing that the continued loss of lives should not be allowed to remain largely overlooked.

“Spread the word. We have a chance to save lives in what is essentially the worst thing happening to Christians on the planet,” Ogebe said.

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