It is not uncommon in Nigeria to hear that people were killed because of their religion especially in the Northern part of the country. So today I want to write about the history of major religion instigated massacres in Nigeria. I won’t be able to mention it all and you can mention the ones you know in the comments.
1. Kano riot of 1953.
The Kano riot of 1953 was a riot between Northerners and Southerners in Kano city before Nigeria’s independence. Though the conflicts was more of political motivated because the riot started because the Northerners didn’t want independence from the British while the Southerners mainly Yorubas and Igbos, wanted independence as quick as possible. The riot which lasted four days caused the death of close to 50 people and 200 injured.
2. 1966 Igbo massacre.
The massacre of Igbo soldiers and civilians in the Northern part of Nigeria in 1966 was the bloodiest massacre in Nigeria till date. The reason for the massacre was mainly because of the death of Sardauna of Sokoto Ahmadu Bello during the first Nigerian military coup d’etat that was led mainly by young Igbo officers. Ahmadu Bello, apart for being the highest religious head of the Northerners at the time, was also the great grandson of Usman Dan Fodio. The massacre led to the death of over 30 thousands Igbos and was the reason for the Nigerian civil war.
3. 1980 Kano riot.
Kano riot of 1980 was one of the bloodiest religious conflicts in Nigeria. The riot was started by an extremist Islamic leader called Maitatsine who encouraged his followers to attack Christians and non- Muslims in Kano. The Nigerian police were deployed to counter the threat but over 100 police officers were killed leading to the calling of the military to end the riot. The army was able to end the riot and Maitatsine was killed but not before over 4500 civilians mostly Christians have been killed including 100 police officers and 35 army personnel. The massacre was one of the reason President Shehu Shagari deported West African immigrants from Nigeria because of the high number of extremist foreigners who led the conflict.
4. Kaduna riot of year 2000.
Kaduna riots occur between February to May of 2000 between Christians and Muslims in the state over the introduction of Sharia law in Kaduna state. The conflict started when some fanatic Muslim youths attacked christians who were holding a peaceful protests against the introduction of the Sharia law in the State. The attack soon led to full blown conflict between Christians and Muslims in State. By the time the riot was ended in May 2000, between 3000 and 5000 people have been killed.
5. 2001 Jos riot.
The 2001 Jos riots were riots involving Christians and Muslims in Jos, Nigeria, over the appointment of a Muslim politician, Alhaji Muktar Mohammed, as local coordinator of the federal poverty alleviation program. The clashes started on 7 September and lasted nearly two weeks, ending on 17 September. Some 1,000 people were killed during the riots.
6. 2002 Miss world riot of Kaduna.
The Miss World riots were a series of religiously motivated riots in the Nigerian city of Kaduna in November 2002, which claimed the lives of more than 200 people. The Miss World beauty pageant, which was controversial in Nigeria, was relocated to London after bloody clashes between Muslims and Christians, caused by what some Muslims deemed to be a blasphemous. The lead up to the riot is that the Miss world was holding in Nigeria that year and it coincided with the Muslim month of Ramadan. But what really caused the conflicts was when a newspaper Thisday said that Mohammed would have approved of the Miss World competition which led to outrage among some Muslim in Kaduna who switched there anger on innocent christians. The christians also launched there own retaliatory attack on Muslim communities. The military was called in and the conflict was resolved.
7. 2008 Jos riot.
The 2008 Jos riots were riots involving Christians and Muslims over the result of a local election on 28 and 29 November 2008 in Jos, a city in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria. Two days of rioting left hundreds injured and at least 761 dead. The Nigerian army was deployed and by 30 November order was restored.…..Continue Reading>>>
Leave a Reply