Country Advice Nigeria

Country Advice Nigeria Nigeria NGA37499 Yoruba Ilupeju Christians in Ekiti State Ogun Jos Mountain of Fire Church Relocation 7 October 2010 1. Please provide information (including maps) on the geographical location of Ekiti as well as any other notable details or images of major landmarks or buildings in those areas that should be known to a resident. The state of Ekiti is located in the Yoruba dominated southwest of Nigeria (see map 1). Ilupeju is often referred to as a town in Ekiti, however no maps have been located that indicate its precise location. Google Maps locate the Ilupeju primary and high schools over twenty kilometres apart, however both are located north of the capital Ado Ekiti, in the approximate centre of the state (see Map 2). Map 1: Ekiti state, Lagos and Jos Page 1 of 10

Map 2: Ekiti State The headquarters of the Mountain of Fire & Miracles Ministry (http://www.mountainoffire.org/home/index.htm) is located in the Yaba district of Lagos, on the mainland (see Map 3). It is close to the University of Lagos and the International School. The Ministry also has a complex known as Prayer City, located at the northern edge of Lagos, in Ibafo, near the Lagos Ibadan Expressway. The Ministry was founded in 1989 by Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, who remains its head pastor. Map 3: Mountain of Fire Church, Lagos, Nigeria M Page 2 of 10

The Mountain of Fire & Miracles Ministries logo No information has been located on a church called the Mountain of Redemption & Transfiguration in Nigeria. Numerous sources refer to a Catholic Church of Transfiguration in Lagos. Jos is the capital of Plateau State (see Map 4). There are number of major landmarks in the city that a resident would know by sight, including the Jos Main Market. Page 3 of 10

2. Please provide any information on Yoruba ethnicity. Yoruba political leaders in the post-colonial period have complained that they were marginalised politically, primarily by the northern Hausa/Fulani. This nationalist belief was reinforced after the 1993 election of Yoruban Moshood Abiola was annulled by the incumbent government. 1 Power quickly passed into the hands of General Sani Abacha and the military. 2 However, since the restoration of democracy in 1999, the Yoruba, together with the Hausa/Fulani, have become one of the most politically and economically powerful ethno-linguistic groups in Nigeria. The Yoruba are predominantly located in the southwest states of Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo Osun and Oyo, where they constitute approximately 93 percent of the population (based on the 2006 census). 3 Dr Aderemi Suleiman Ajala from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) wrote in a 2009 paper that the Yoruba have been one of Nigeria s three dominant ethnic groups or nations since Nigerian independence. 4 A 2006 assessment by Minorities at Risk states that [t]he Yoruba do not face any ecological or demographic constraints; nor do they face significant levels of cultural, political or economic discrimination. In the 1999 democratic elections, Yoruban Olusegun Obasanjo was elected president. As a result, many of the restrictions they had faced earlier were removed. Violence between Yoruba and other ethnic groups is common, especially with the Hausa/Fulani, as is intercommunal violence. 5 It should be noted that the Yoruba are not a truly homogenous ethno-linguistic group, but rather a collection of approximately twenty tribes, including the Ekiti. Dr Ajala states that [u]p to the present day the people still retain these ethnonyms as their different local identities, despite the creation of a pan-ethnic Yoruba identity that seems to bind them together as a political unit. 6 3. Please provide details of the idol worshipping cult called Ogun, including any details of its relationship to the village Ilupeju in Ekiti, as well as any information that supports or refutes the claim regarding the hereditary nature of the position of the high priest; and his claim that he will be killed because of his Christianity. The Yoruba practice a number of religions, including Islam, Christianity, and indigenous religions, even within particular communities. Sources indicate that this is equally true among the Ekiti-Yoruba of Ilupeju, as it is of the wider Yoruba population. Yorubans who practice indigenous religions often worship one or more local gods. Olorun is said to be the supreme God, the creator, while there are also over four hundred 1 Ajala, A.S. 2009, Yoruba Nationalism: Culture, Politics and Violence in South-western Nigeria (1900-2009), University of Mainz, p. 9,12-13 Attachment 1 2 Minorities at Risk 2006, Assessment for Yoruba in Nigeria, 31 December http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupid=47505 Accessed 29 January Attachment 2 3 Ajala, A.S. 2009, Yoruba Nationalism: Culture, Politics and Violence in South-western Nigeria (1900-2009), University of Mainz, p.6 Attachment 1 4 Ajala, A.S. 2009, Yoruba Nationalism: Culture, Politics and Violence in South-western Nigeria (1900-2009), University of Mainz, p.1 Attachment 1 5 Minorities at Risk 2006, Assessment for Yoruba in Nigeria, 31 December http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupid=47505 Accessed 29 January Attachment 2 6 Ajala, A.S. 2009, Yoruba Nationalism: Culture, Politics and Violence in South-western Nigeria (1900-2009), University of Mainz, p.8 Attachment 1 Page 4 of 10

different deities. 7 According to Elisha Renne, these gods are divided into two categories: the Inole, natural deities; and the Orisha, deities who control substances (metals, water, plants, etc, or situations). 8 Ogun is an Orisha who is known as the God of Iron. According to local beliefs, Ogun is a warrior who must work 24 hours a day and may never sleep, as punishment for having had an incestuous relationship with his mother. As the god of iron, many Nigerians believe that he is the owner of the railroad tracks. 9 It is also said that [w]oodworkers, leatherworkers, and blacksmiths worship him and that [w]ithout Ogun people would not have tools to farm the land that they live on. 10 According to Nicole Mullen at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, while some Orisha are worshipped by all Yoruba, [o]ther gods are only worshiped by certain towns or families. Every person is given or receives a special deity to worship. A person usually worships the god of his father, but some worship the god of their mother. Some people are contacted by a particular god in their dreams and are instructed to worship them. 11 Consistent with Mullen, other sources indicate that different people in Ilupeju in Ekiti state worship different gods, rather than only Ogun. Elisha Renne cites a woman from Ilupeju who worships Olukun and indicates that there is an Olukun festival in the town. 12 Some Yoruba are said to believe that Ogun is symbolized by St. Peter in the Catholic church. 13 Ogun and Olorun are therefore highly compatible with a level of syncretism among Yoruban Christians (and indeed Muslims). The US Department of State reports in its International Religious Freedom Report 2009 Nigeria that [w]hile some groups estimate the population to be 50 percent Muslim, 40 percent Christian, and 10 percent practitioners of indigenous religious beliefs, it is generally assumed that the proportions of citizens who practice Islam and citizens who practice Christianity are roughly equal and 7 Mullen, N. 2004, Yoruba Art & Culture, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, p.23 http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/outreach/pdfs/yoruba_teaching_kit.pdf Accessed 29 September 2010 Attachment 3 8 Renne, E.P. 2000, Cloth & Conversion: Yoruba Textiles & Ecclesiastical Dress, in Undressing Religion: Commitment & Conversion from a Cross-Cultural Perspective, ed Arthur, L.B. (ed), Berg, Oxford, pp.10-12 - Attachment 4 9 (Anonymous) 2003, Addimu: Everything that Elegba eats. The Power Of The Coconut And The Yoruba Religion (A Manual For The Yoruba Religion), p.30 http://api.ning.com/files/ddoapk3kzwhia9bbqdgfmv77tmvaohvf72bqz9ih3pi_/thepowerofthecoconut.p df Accessed 29 September 2010 Attachment 5 10 Mullen, N. 2004, Yoruba Art & Culture, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, p.23 http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/outreach/pdfs/yoruba_teaching_kit.pdf Accessed 29 September 2010 Attachment 3 11 Mullen, N. 2004, Yoruba Art & Culture, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, p.21 http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/outreach/pdfs/yoruba_teaching_kit.pdf Accessed 29 September 2010 Attachment 3 12 Renne, E.P. 2000, Cloth & Conversion: Yoruba Textiles & Ecclesiastical Dress, in Undressing Religion: Commitment & Conversion from a Cross-Cultural Perspective, ed Arthur, L.B. (ed), Berg, Oxford, pp.10-12 Attachment 4 13 (Anonymous) 2003, Addimu: Everything that Elegba eats. The Power Of The Coconut And The Yoruba Religion (A Manual For The Yoruba Religion), p.30 http://api.ning.com/files/ddoapk3kzwhia9bbqdgfmv77tmvaohvf72bqz9ih3pi_/thepowerofthecoconut.p df Accessed 29 September 2010 Attachment 5 Page 5 of 10

include a substantial number who practice indigenous religious beliefs alongside Christianity or Islam. 14 There is significant evidence of a Christian presence in Ekiti state; Anglicans established the first mission in Ado-Ekiti in 1895, followed by the Methodists in 1910, the Catholics in 1912, and the Baptists in 1915. According to the Catholic Church Nigeria website, approximately 15 percent of the state s estimated 2 million residents are Catholics. There is at least one Catholic Church in Ilupeju, St. John s. 15 The Catholic Parishes of Ekiti website indicates that there might be a second, St Paul s. 16 There is also reportedly a St. John s Anglican Church in Ilupeju; however this had not been confirmed. The town does not appear to be a community of exclusive Ogun worshippers. There is no evidence that Christians or people from traditional religious backgrounds in Ekiti are harmed for having embraced Christian beliefs. Elisha Renne writes that [e]arly Christians faced considerable hostility from traditionalists who saw Christianity as a threat to their beliefs. However, by the 1930s many townspeople and Ekiti villagers became Church members. Renne suggests that Ekiti Yorubans were initially attracted to the various churches by services such as education and health. 17 4. Please provide details of any research that supports if a person cannot relocate to any part of Nigeria because he proselytized Christianity in Jos (and promoted the conversion of Muslims). In April 2009 the UK Home Office stated that the Nigerian constitution provides for the right to travel within the country and the Federal Government generally respects this right in practice. Internal relocation to escape ill-treatment from non-state agents is almost always an option. 18 The British High Commission (BHC) in Abuja informed a 2005 joint British-Danish factfinding mission to Nigeria that internal relocation to escape any ill treatment from nonstate agents was almost always an option. Some individuals may, however, face difficulties with regard to lack of acceptance by others in the new environment as well as lack of accommodation, land etc. The situation would be considerably easier if the individual concerned has family or other ties on (sic) the new location. 19 As indicated previously, ethnic Yorubans dominate the demography of southwest Nigeria. Persons who are wanted by Shari'a courts in northern states are not arrested and returned to such courts by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), according to Nigeria s Inspector General of Police (IGP; [a] senior representative of the IGP stated that NPF does not return 14 US Department of State 2009, International Religious Freedom Report 2009 Nigeria, 26 October, section I Attachment 6 15 Ekiti Diocese (undated), Catholic Church Nigeria website http://catholicnigeria.com/index_files/page781.htm Accessed 29 September 2010 Attachment 7 16 Catholic Parishes of Ekiti 2010, Catholic Parishes of Ekiti website http://catholicdioceseofekiti.org/parishes.htm Accessed 30 September 2010 Attachment 8 17 Renne, E.P. 2000, Cloth & Conversion: Yoruba Textiles & Ecclesiastical Dress, in Undressing Religion: Commitment & Conversion from a Cross-Cultural Perspective, ed Arthur, L.B. (ed), Berg, Oxford, pp.11 Attachment 4 18 UK Home Office 2009, Operational Guidance Note Nigeria, 14 April p.10, 3.11.2 Attachment 9 19 Danish Immigration Service 2005, Report on human rights issues in Nigeria: Joint British-Danish fact-finding mission to Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria: 19 October to 2 November 2004, January, p.37, 4.3.3 Attachment 10 Page 6 of 10

anyone to the jurisdiction of a Shari a court if he or she has relocated elsewhere in Nigeria in order to escape Shari a jurisdiction. 20 As of October 2009 twelve Nigerian states have adopted Shari a law courts, however Plateau state has not. Those courts in states that have adopted Shari a law are only allowed to adjudicate in matters relating to Muslims. 21 The People s Democratic Party (PDP), the party who won power in November 2008 elections in Plateau State, is a political party with a predominantly Christian supporter base. According to the US Department of State, the main party supported by Hausa-Fulani Muslims is the All Nigeria People's Party (ANP). The PDP party won all 17 Local Government Areas of Plateau state in the 2008 elections including areas with majority Hausa-Fulani Muslim populations. As a consequence of the 27 November election outcome, inter-ethnic violence erupted, centred on Jos, that resulted in hundreds of deaths. 22 At least six Christian pastors were killed in the violence. 23 No sources state that people who fled Jos in the aftermath have been pursued to other parts of Nigeria. The Alliance for Democracy (AD) has its powerbase in Southwest Nigeria 24, in the areas populated heavily by Yoruba and evenly split between Christians and Muslims. 25 In the northern states of Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, and Kano, state governments fund Hisbah, described by the US Department of State as a private vigilante Shari'a enforcement group, to enforce a number of Shari'a statutes, including the prohibitions on alcohol and prostitution. However, the Department states that they primarily serve as traffic wardens and marketplace regulators. 26 There is no evidence that members of Hisbah pursue Christians across Nigeria who have attempted to convert Muslims in central and northern states. The most fanatical Islamic religious group in Northern Nigeria is Boko Haram (roughly translated as Western Education is Forbidden/Sinful). Boko Haram was responsible for destroying over 20 churches, mostly in the Northeast state of Borno, and abducting many Christians. In 2009 police captured hundreds of Boko Haram members, including the leader, Mohammed Yusuf (who was killed while in custody). 27 In September 2010 Boko Haram staged an attack on a prison in the town of its former headquarters Maiduguri, reportedly freeing more than 700 prisoners, approximately 100 of which were Boko 20 Danish Immigration Service 2005, Report on human rights issues in Nigeria: Joint British-Danish fact-finding mission to Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria: 19 October to 2 November 2004, January, p.37 Attachment 10 21 US Department of State 2009, International Religious Freedom Report 2009 Nigeria, 26 October, section II Attachment 6 22 US Department of State 2009, International Religious Freedom Report for 2009 Nigeria, 26 October, Section II Attachment 6 23 Six pastors killed, 40 churches razed in Jos violence 2008, Compass Direct, 11 December http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=long&idelement=5725 Accessed 16 December 2008 Attachment 11 24 Momoh, A. & Thovoethin, P.S. 2001, Republic of Nigeria: An overview of the 1998-1999 Democratization Process in Nigeria, United Nations Public Administration Network, p.4 http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/cafrad/unpan009286.pdf Accessed 30 September 2010 Attachment 12 25 International Crisis Group 2006, Nigeria: Want in the midst of Plenty, Africa Report N 113, 19 July, p.25 Attachment 13 26 US Department of State 2009, International Religious Freedom Report for 2009 Nigeria, 26 October, Section II Attachment 6 27 Death toll climbs in attack by Islamic sect 2009, Compass Direct, 7 August http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/nigeria/4505/ Accessed 20 September 2010 Attachment 14 Page 7 of 10

Haram. 28 However, there is no evidence that Boko Haram pursue proselytising Christians into regions of Nigeria away from their northern strongholds. 28 Suspected Islamists kill two in Nigeria: police 2010, Google News, source: Agence France Presse, 21 September http://www.google.com/hostednews/ afp/article/aleqm5ivopjbtpww-mar6o-ducuaxjjwta Accessed 22 September 2010 Attachment 15 Page 8 of 10

Attachments 1. Ajala, A.S. 2009, Yoruba Nationalism: Culture, Politics and Violence in South-western Nigeria (1900-2009), University of Mainz. 2. Minorities at Risk 2006, Assessment for Yoruba in Nigeria, 31 December http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/mar/assessment.asp?groupid=47505 Accessed 29 January 2010. 3. Mullen, N. 2004, Yoruba Art & Culture, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/outreach/pdfs/yoruba_teaching_kit.pdf Accessed 29 September 2010. 4. Renne, E.P. 2000, Cloth & Conversion: Yoruba Textiles & Ecclesiastical Dress, in Undressing Religion: Commitment & Conversion from a Cross-Cultural Perspective, ed Arthur, L.B. (ed), Berg, Oxford. (MRT-RRT Library) 5. (Anonymous) 2003, Addimu: Everything that Elegba eats. The Power of the Coconut and the Yoruba Religion (A Manual for the Yoruba Religion), p.30 http://api.ning.com/files/ddoapk3kzwhia9bbqdgfmv77tmvaohvf72bqz9ih3pi_/t hepowerofthecoconut.pdf Accessed 29 September 2010. 6. US Department of State 2009, International Religious Freedom Report 2009 Nigeria, 26 October. 7. Ekiti Diocese (undated), Catholic Church Nigeria website http://catholicnigeria.com/index_files/page781.htm Accessed 29 September 2010. 8. Catholic Parishes of Ekiti 2010, Catholic Parishes of Ekiti website http://catholicdioceseofekiti.org/parishes.htm Accessed 30 September 2010. 9. UK Home Office 2009, Operational Guidance Note Nigeria, 14 April. 10. Danish Immigration Service 2005, Report on human rights issues in Nigeria: Joint British-Danish fact-finding mission to Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria: 19 October to 2 November 2004, January. 11. Six pastors killed, 40 churches razed in Jos violence 2008, Compass Direct, 11 December http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=long&idele ment=5725 Accessed 16 December 2008. (CISNET Nigeria CX216687) 12. Momoh, A. & Thovoethin, P.S. 2001, Republic of Nigeria: An overview of the 1998-1999 Democratization Process in Nigeria, United Nations Public Administration Network http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/cafrad/unpan009286.pdf Accessed 30 September 2010. 13. International Crisis Group 2006, Nigeria: Want in the midst of Plenty, Africa Report N 113, 19 July. Page 9 of 10

14. Death toll climbs in attack by Islamic sect 2009, Compass Direct, 7 August http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/nigeria/4505/ Accessed 20 September 2010. (CISNET Nigeria CX249612) 15. Suspected Islamists kill two in Nigeria: police 2010, Google News, source: Agence France Presse, 21 September http://www.google.com/hostednews/ afp/article/aleqm5ivopjbtpww-mar6o-ducuaxjjwta Accessed 22 September 2010. (CISNET Nigeria CX249824) Page 10 of 10