Abuja, 01 February, 2025 / 9:00 am (ACI Africa).
The Vice-Chancellor of Nigeria’s Veritas University has encouraged journalists in the West African nation to expose Christian persecution which is at its highest peak in the country.
In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of an event that members of St. Josephine Bakhita Community of Salesians of St. John Bosco organized to mark the feast of Don Bosco, Fr. Hyacinth Ementa Ichoku described persecution as an enduring feature of Christian history.
“Persecution has always been part of the Christian story, right from its inception. There's no moment when believers are not being persecuted,” Fr. Ichoku told ACI Africa on Wednesday, January 29.
“Persecution doesn't always mean people are being killed,” he said, and explained, “When you deny people their rights because of their beliefs, that's persecution. For instance, being denied a promotion at work or access to land for building a church, these are subtle yet significant forms of oppression.”
“When the government makes it a policy to persecute people because of their faith and beliefs, it becomes dangerous. Using the power of the state to target a group is a grave injustice,” he said.