[ADDRESS]

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The Honorable [Insert Senator’s Name]

 

Dear Senator [Insert Senator's Last Name ]

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APPIONT A SPECIAL ENVOY FOR NIGERIA

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My name is [ YOUR NAME …………………… ] I am a US citizen of Nigerian decent.

 

I reside at [ YOUR ADDRESS  …… …………….. ] within your constituent.

 

I am asking that you help take action in the House to help intervene in the mass slaughter and heinous violation of crime against humanity committed by state and non- state actors against Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria. Many of my own blood relations have fallen victims and met their untimely deaths in the hands of these insurgency groups.

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Nigeria is in an era of mass slaughter, mass funerals, gruesome genocide, and unprecedented ethnic cleansing. It is plunged into the den of devouring jaws of various terrorist groups.1 New United Nations Development Program (UNDP) data on the war in Nigeria conflict showed about 350,000 were killed by the Islamist insurgencies as of the end of 2020. This number was 10 times higher than previous estimates since the conflict started 12 years ago. 2 These statistics did not even capture 30% of those murdered in Nigeria by the Fulani Jihadists terrorists.2.

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The attackers are never captured, they are not prosecuted, the security services respond very slowly, a full day can go on with attacks happening and no security shows up and frequently the government officials will provide cover." 3 The failure to prosecute past perpetrators of violence, or heed early warnings of impending attacks by the Nigerian security officials has facilitated the rise of armed militia, which often form along ethno-religious lines to protect community interests,” Nigeria has failed to protect Christian farmers from violence.4

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Recently, Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a 200-level student at Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto in northern Nigeria was murdered on her university campus. The murdered woman, Deborah Samuel Yakubu, was she was the leader of a women’s Christian fellowship group on campus. Debora’s crime was asking students not to post religious messages to a group the group Whatsapp. A rumor circulated that she had insulted Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. 5.

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Two videos were posted online to show Debora’s killing. In one, a half dozen men beat Deborah’s lifeless body with sticks while they shout “Allahu Akbar” (God is great). A second video shows her body burning while her killers boast about killing her. The next day, she was killed. 5.

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On 5 June 2022, at Pentecost massacre, a mass shooting and bomb attack occurred at a Catholic church in the city of Owo in Ondo State, Nigeria. At least 40 people were killed, maybe over 80. Some in the federal government of Nigeria suspect the Islamic State – West Africa Province of carrying out the massacre. 6.

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After the Pentecost massacre, Fulani also waged bloody attacks that killed 32 Christians in four southern Kaduna communities — Unguwan Gamu, Dogon Noma, Ungwan Sarki, and Maikori. The church and many houses were torched. There, too, the government failed to respond. 7.

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I am asking that you support any resolution in the House that will hold the Nigerian government accountable for the crimes against humanity unleashed upon the thousands of innocent and defenseless Nigerians and urge President Joe Biden and the State Department to appoint a Special Envoy with the prerequisite authority on a fact-finding mission and to deal with the security threats, and mass slaughter and hold their perpetrators accountable.

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I look forward to hearing from you about these concerns.

 

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

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1. See Editorial: Dipping the Koran into the sea - Politics – Nairaland: https://www.nairaland.com/2034125/editorial-dipping-koran-into-sea#28689927.

2.Remarks by President Biden Before Cabinet Meeting to Mark .... https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/07/20/remarks-by-president-biden-before-cabinet-meeting-to-mark-six-months-in-office/

3. Dede Laugesen with Save the Persecuted Christian. Human Rights Advocates Sound Alarm on 'Christian Genocide' Unfolding in Africa. https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2020/december/human-rights-advocates-sound-alarm-on-christian-genocide-unfolding-in-africa

4. Nigeria failing to protect Christian farmers from violence .... https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/africa/nigeria-failing-to-protect-christian-farmers-from-violence-british-mps-say-1.1034078 https://www.thenational.ae/world/africa/nigeria-failing-to-protect-christian-farmers-from-violence-british-mps-say-1.1034078.

5. Christian Student Lynched by Mob in Northern Nigeria-https://csi-usa.org/christian-student-lynched-by-mob-in-northern-nigeria/

6. At least 50 killed in massacre at Catholic church in southwest Nigeria-https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-worshippers-during-church-service-nigeria-media-2022-06-05/

7. Cleansing Crisis Is Not Due to Climate Change-https://www.hudson.org/research/17908-nigeria-s-religious-cleansing-crisis-is-not-due-to-climate-change.