The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has declared President Bola Tinubu's invitation to Pope Leo XIV's inauguration as "undeserved" and "totally rejected," citing alleged widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria.
In a statement released on Saturday, the civil society organization claimed that an estimated 15,640 Christians have been killed by jihadists during President Tinubu's two years in office. This translates to an average of 7,820 deaths per year, 650 per month, 22 per day, and one per hour, according to the group.
The presidency had confirmed that President Tinubu was invited to attend Pope Leo XIV's inauguration scheduled for Sunday, May 18, 2025, at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.
Intersociety further alleged that approximately 14,600 Christians have been abducted during the same period, with about 1,460 (ten percent) reportedly dying in captivity.
The statement was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Lead-Researcher/Head of Intersociety, along with other officials of the organization including Chinwe Umeche, Engineer Ekene Bede Umeagu, and Obianuju Joy Igboeli.
The group also criticized the inclusion of some Catholic bishops in the president's entourage to the Vatican, describing it as "strongly condemnable" and suggesting it "exposes the conspiracy of the country's Christian leaders in grisly and egregious attacks by Jihadists and their patrons against Christians and their properties."
"It is therefore our insistence that the country's Catholic Bishops have no business whatsoever having their names in the list of the country's presidential itinerary to the Vatican for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV," the statement read.
Intersociety expressed concerns that Catholic leaders in Nigeria might become "presidential image launderers" if they accept government sponsorship for the trip, potentially compromising their ability to speak out against attacks on Christians.
According to the organization, Nigeria's Catholics have lost "about 16 dioceses and thousands of parishes and outstations" to Islamic jihadists since July 2009. They further claimed that jihadists have sacked or seized not less than 1,000 indigenous Christian communities and occupied an estimated 70% of Christian forests in the country.
The group also alleged that jihadists have seized over 20,000 square miles and hundreds of thousands of hectares of Christian farmlands and settlements across Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna regions.
As of the time of reporting, there has been no official response from the presidency or the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria regarding these allegations.
