The British Government may be intervening with military force to halt massacres of Christians in parts of Nigeria if it bows to pressure from its citizens.
A major new poll conducted in the UK also showed that a cross-section of the citizens want the government to stop sending foreign aid to Nigeria after mass killing of Christians in some parts of the North.
The poll of more than 2,000 adults, commissioned by humanitarian organisation PSJ UK also found that more than one in four people (26 percent) of people would support Britain intervening with military force in parts of Nigeria, although 35 percent were opposed to the suggestion.
The new Savanta ComRes poll came as concern mounted about atrocities being carried out by Boko Haram and the region’s version of the so-called Islamic State.
Persecondnews recalls that bloodletting and ethnic cleansing of Christian-dominated Southern Kaduna has claimed hundreds of lives with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) crying foul about the massacre and burning of houses by suspected Fulani.
President Donald Trump had several years ago intervened and called on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to end the killing of Christians in the country.
According to the poll, 53 per cent of the respondents canvassed a strong support for lobbying the United Nations to send peacekeeping forces to some parts of Nigeria.
“For too long, Nigeria’s Christians have been silently slaughtered. Their cries have been ignored by the mainstream media and political establishment, both in Nigeria and across the Western world.
“There will be no peace in Africa until Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy and breadbasket of the future, can defend each of its citizens, particularly the most vulnerable,’’Ayo Adedoyin, PSJ UK’s chief executive, said while commenting on the poll.
On aids, at least more than half of the people (53 percent) want British aid to Nigeria made conditional on measures protecting Christians while six out of 10 respondents (58 percent) backed sanctions against human rights abusers in the country.
“Sanctions must be put on Nigeria after horrific Christian persecution,’’ they said.
The poll respondents, two in five UK adults (39 percent) want the UK government to speak out against violence towards Christians in Nigeria.
Few days ago, the Nigerian Police and leaders of the Adara community in the Northeast had visited the area after a massive destruction of houses following a Fulani attack.
Also, Christian faithful had marched through the streets of Abuja, the nation’s capital, during a prayer for peace in the beleaguered areas.
On what constitutes the greatest threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria, Adedoyin also said:“While we cannot underestimate the threat of Covid-19, it is undeniable that Islamic terrorism has posed a bigger threat to Nigerian society at the start of 2020.
“The poll findings are highly encouraging, particularly as they indicate a strong expectation of British involvement to solve this crisis. Sanctions on high-profile rights abusers who contribute towards or permit the mass killing of innocent Christians is a good place to start, and I commend the British public for supporting this measure.”
Reacting to the poll, a spokesman for the British Department for International Affairs said: “We are deeply concerned by human rights abuses against all Nigerians, including Christians, and have raised our concerns at the highest levels of the Nigerian government.’’
He explained that foreign aids do not go directly to the government of Nigeria, hoping that the UK government would provide life-saving humanitarian support directly to the vulnerable.
“Nigeria has millions of people living in extreme poverty, and it is right that the UK provides life-saving humanitarian support to vulnerable people in need.”
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