33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

3 NIGERIA Igbo: Christian and strong opponents of the Sharia law; engaged in the oil trade in Nigeria's south-eastern region; fought in the war of independence with the Nigerian government in 1967 and still feel marginalised in Nigerian society. Ijaw : 10% of the population; living in an oil-rich area in Nigeria; have traditionally been in conflict with the rest of the Nigerian population. Kanuri : 4% of the population living in the north-east of Nigeria; mainly Sunni Muslims (Boko Haram are mostly of Kanuri descent). Fulani: Muslim and now largely bound to the Hausa due to inter-marriages. Ibibio: 3.5% of the population; Christian. Tiv: 3.5% of the population; mostly practicing Tiv religion 4 . BELIEF : Muslim, 40 – 45% is Christian, and 5 – 10% practice indigenous religious traditions. The north is largely Muslim with different strands of Islam represented, including Sufi brotherhoods, Salafi interpretations of Islam rejecting Sufism, Shi’a communities, and intermesh with indigenous beliefs. The south is largely Christian; however, the Christian minority is rapidly shrinking 5 . POLITICAL SITUATION: Nigeria has witnessed numerous military coups since its independence from British rule in 1960. Despite the fact that the country now has an elected government, the general security situation in north-east Nigeria, particularly in the Borno State, remains unstable. The Nigerian Armed Forces are conducting counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram on Lake Chad Basin, inside the Sambisa Forest and in villages bordering Cameroon and Niger. Thousands of people have died over the past few years in communal attacks led by the Islamic State-aligned Boko Haram. Many Boko Haram captives have been rescued thanks to the “Deep Punch” operation ; however, as a result, the number of people seeking refuge in IDP (internally displaced people) camps has drastically risen 6 . Ethnic and religious tensions are rampant and separatist aspirations are on the rise, exacerbated by the imposition of Sharia law in the north, which has caused thousands of Christians to flee 7 . CULTURAL TRADITIONS: Nigeria is a hierarchical society, where age and position are valued and play a fundamental role. Older people are greeted and served first, admired and 4 http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/largest-ethnic-groups-in-nigeria.html 5 https://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/nigeria-overview & http://www.nigerianmuse.com/20101205024305zg/sections/general-articles/ethnic-minority-groups-in- nigeria-current-situation-and-major-problems-by-abdul-raufu-mustapha/ 6 http://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/nigeria-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-sgbv-monthly-update-april- 2017 7 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13949550