EU LAWMAKER ROARS: ‘300 SCHOOLCHILDREN ABDUCTION PROVES ISLAMIC MILITANTS NOW OPERATE ABOVE THE LAW IN NIGERIA’

Zovko Blasts Global Silence, Says 50,000 Christians Have Been Massacred Since 2009

A member of the European Parliament, Željana Zovko, has delivered a blistering condemnation of the spiralling jihadist violence in Nigeria, warning that the abduction of more than 300 Catholic schoolchildren is yet another chilling sign that extremist groups now operate as though they are “above the law.”

Zovko, who recently concluded a fact-finding mission to Nigeria, accused both the Nigerian government and international institutions of chronic failure in protecting Christian communities, despite over a decade of killings, church burnings and systematic targeting of rural populations.

In a strongly worded video message shared on her Facebook page, Zovko lamented that over 38 million Christians across Sub-Saharan Africa endure severe persecution and discrimination, with their homes and places of worship repeatedly destroyed in increasingly brazen attacks.

According to her, eight of the world’s ten deadliest countries for Christians are in the region, yet the global response remains one of “deafening indifference.”

‘Hypocrisy, Empty Speeches, And Cosmetic Peace Projects’ — Zovko Slams International Bodies

The EU lawmaker took aim at what she called the “hypocrisy and empty speeches” of international organisations that boast of interfaith peace initiatives while turning a blind eye to the escalating humanitarian catastrophe.

Many of these projects, she said, are nothing more than “mimicry of interreligious dialogue”—superficial programmes conducted comfortably in capital cities while communities under attack are abandoned to their fate.

Zovko warned that the kidnapping of more than 300 Catholic schoolchildren should shock the world into acknowledging that extremist groups “feel untouchable” and continue to terrorise vulnerable populations with absolute impunity.

‘50,000 Christians Massacred Since 2009’

In her message, she declared:

> “If you didn’t know, more than 38 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination. Their homes and churches are destroyed, and believers face enormous pressure across Sub-Saharan Africa. Violence is rising sharply; eight out of the ten deadliest countries for Christians are in this region.”

She further noted that in the Middle East, Christian populations—once vibrant and ancient—are being forced underground or driven into exile, shrinking them into endangered minorities.

But, she stressed, the situation in Nigeria is particularly dire:

> “Since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians have been brutally massacred. I recently visited Nigeria and met with authorities, questioning why stronger protection is not being provided and why attacks on churches continue unchecked. These stories have been ignored for far too long, but the silence must end.”

Zovko said she challenged international officials in Abuja, telling them that interfaith dialogue projects are meaningless when they never venture into the devastated rural communities where families are slaughtered.

‘History Will Judge Us’ — She Warns EU And Global Actors

The EU Parliamentarian did not spare her colleagues in Brussels either:

> “Don’t give us these speeches. We have passed resolutions here. We have asked the Commission to finally do its job — yet it is not doing its job. The kidnapping of 300 schoolchildren is a brutal reminder that these groups operate as though they are above the law. History will judge us by the actions we take here.”

With the international community facing renewed pressure to act, Zovko’s fiery intervention has amplified long-standing concerns about Nigeria’s worsening security crisis — and the global silence that continues to surround it.