Press Release - #IDPjustice Campaign — Africa Arise is the founder of Arise Academies serving Nigerian IDP camps

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 8, 2024

CONTACT:

In the USA — Mike Arnold, President, Africa Arise USA +1 210 286 4875

In Nigeria — Jed D’Grace, Executive Director, Africa Arise Intl. +234 706 682 5522

Humanitarian aid group demands the UN and the US and Nigerian governments seek restoration for victims of religious persecution in Nigeria

Africa Arise launches Nigerian Restoration Initiative, including #IDPjustice social media campaign and petition drive, as coalition of 22 US Congressmen demand the US State Department acknowledge the enormous scale of religious persecution in Nigeria

International aid group Africa Arise is calling on the US and Nigerian governments and the United Nations to acknowledge, take action, and seek restoration for victims of religious persecution in Nigeria.

On Friday, 22 US Congressmen addressed a letter to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, urging him to place Nigeria back on the State Department's official religious persecution watchlist.

In response, the founder of Africa Arise expressed gratitude to these congressmen for their support, and announced the group’s Nigerian Restoration Initiative. This initiative includes the #IDPjustice social media campaign and an online petition drive.

Established by Mike Arnold and Nigerian Pastor Jed D’Grace in 2019, Africa Arise is actively involved in constructing and staffing schools within internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Nigeria.

Africa Arise is a non-profit organization headquartered in both the US and Nigeria. Their Nigerian Restoration Initiative aims to compel the governments of Nigeria and the United States to acknowledge, provide assistance, and work towards the restoration of the millions of victims of religious persecution in Nigeria. Most of those stuck in IDP camps are women and children.

Having traveled to Nigeria 13 times since 2010, Arnold has first-hand experience with the camp victims, and has done considerable investigative research into the scale and causes of this growing humanitarian crisis. US Rep. Chip Roy's staff sought his counsel before the congressman signed the demand letter. It's worth noting that Arnold currently holds the position of mayor in Blanco, Texas.

In his announcement, Arnold asserted the shocking revelation that the governments of Nigeria, the United States, and the United Nations have concealed and downplayed the extensive massacre and displacement of Christians, and moderate Muslims, in Nigeria.

He said the United Nations officially denies the existence of the IDP camps where Africa Arise operates their schools. The Nigerian government dismisses these camps as “rural communities” and labels the residents “vagrants.” The US government officially denies that the widespread massacre and displacement of Christians in Nigeria is of “particular concern.”

“In serving these people over the past several years, we’ve been shocked to learn that the governments that are supposed to help are actually going out of their way to cover up and deny the full scope and scale of the bloody, wholesale religious persecution in Nigeria,” said Arnold. “Even in denial, these officials estimate that today there are currently three to four million IDPs in Nigeria. The real number is believed to be up to three times that.”

Due to this cover-up, even most Nigerians remain unaware of the true extent of the crisis, and Africa Arise has faced difficulties in finding international aid organizations willing to assist these displaced individuals.

US Ambassador (ret) Lewis Lucke, a former senior official for USAID, serves as an advisor to Africa Arise. He said, “IDPs have the same international legal status as refugees. The difference is, they’re still in their home country. The international community has the mandate and resources to help care for these people. I am disappointed how these multitude of victims has seemingly fallen through the cracks. We can and must do better.”

Arnold stressed that the 450 full-time students currently enrolled in Africa Arise Academies within three IDP camps near Abuja represent only a fraction of those in need. “These are real people who had families, jobs, places of worship, businesses, schools and farms. Their entire lives are violently ripped away, and many loved ones massacred, by ongoing jihadi violence. This must stop. These people deserve justice and restoration.”

“Today, I’m calling on concerned citizens in Nigeria, the USA and around the world to join us in demanding the Nigerian and US governments and the United Nations recognize, give aid, and seek restoration for these victims of religious persecution,” he said.

Africa Arise has launched a change.org petition, social media awareness with #IDPjustice, and the website IDPjustice.org.

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Links and media resources:

Google Doc of this press release including photos, logos, etc.: click here

Africa Arise website: www.letusriseafrica.org

Nigerian Restoration Initiative page: www.IDPjustice.org

Petition site: www.change.org/IDPjustice

Pictures below.

Videos:

Nov. 21 report from AriseTV, a national Nigerian news network: https://youtu.be/jqxxu6BQeLI?feature=shared

Nov. 14, Mike Arnold’s demand to the UN from a “nonexistent” IDP camp in Abuja: https://youtu.be/w5dO7-Q__Bk?si=2lhqLbJitbqir3n9

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November 14, 2023, Abuja, Nigeria -- Africa Arise founder Mike Arnold visits their Arise Academy school in the New Kuchingoro IDP Camp. His group has schools in three camps in the area, serving 450 students with free, quality education. Residents of these camps were driven from their homelands by murderous jihadis. Virtually all of the children pictured were born in this camp. The United Nations denies the existence of these camps, while the US and Nigerian governments downplay the scale of this growing humanitarian tragedy. (Photo Credit: Mike Arnold, Africa Arise)

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About Mike Arnold, Founder of Africa Arise and Mayor of Blanco, Texas

An ordained minister with an MBA, Mike Arnold is an international missionary and entrepreneur.

In his travels, he’s stared down a charging bull hippo in Tanzania and landed giant squid in the Sea of Cortez and crocodiles in the Amazon. He once stood on the spot where “Braveheart” William Wallace was executed and sipped a soda in the Paris lounge where Princess Diana had her last drink. He’s seen first-hand the smoke and destruction from terrorist bombings. Along the way, he’s served in numerous villages, orphanages, prisons, schools and even a Nigerian leper colony.

Today, he continues his ministry service through Africa Arise, which he founded in 2019 along with Nigerian counterpart Pastor Jed D’Grace. At this point they run schools in three IDP camps in the Abuja area, with 450 full time students and 15 full time staff.

In 1998 he founded a statewide broadcast news network, TXN - The Texas Network. He is also founder of Cross Trail Outfitters, a thriving nationwide youth ministry. He is Associate Producer of the multi-award-winning feature film, Return to the Hiding Place, and author of the book Uprising: Time for Christians to Rise and Shine.

Mike has visited Nigeria 13 times since 2010, traveling extensively through the country, primarily on mission-oriented trips. There, he serves on the board of directors of multiple entities, including NGOs and an infrastructure construction company.

At home in Blanco, Texas, Mike serves as Mayor, owns a construction company, and is a real estate investor. He and his wife, Amy, have four children and two grandchildren.

Through his life’s work, Mike has been been honored by the Texas Senate and featured on these and many other media outlets: