Nmadu says from our standpoint as Christians, genocidal offenses are being committed; but regardless of how the UN or other international organizations choose to label the situation: 

“We can safely say that Christians are being killed in mass with the intention to coerce, to make Christians change their religious conduct,” he affirms. “Freedom of religion, or belief, is being hampered in many parts of Northern Nigeria.”

With land comes economic and political power, and the battle for control sweeps through a complex territory of cultural, political, and religious landscapes. 

Nmadu says he does not believe the present government is aiding the killing of Christians. But the administration’s refusal to take swift action, even in the form of strong rhetoric, reveals a trend towards political correctness. 

“In trying to be politically correct, they become complacent,” he says. “The government – not just this government, even past governments – have not done enough to protect lives of Christians in communities.”

The killings and abductions of thousands of Nigerians have been documented over the last few years. But Nmadu says small numbers aren’t even accounted for in those reports. 

“The evil is just unimaginable, and for a government to come out and deny that there is [any] such thing happening in the country shows their level of responsiveness in protecting lives and property, which is the number one duty of any government in the world,” he says. 

In particular, he believes the government of Nigeria must track down terrorists and hold them accountable to justice. He also thinks the administration needs to address the blasphemy laws being implemented in some Nigerian states by Muslims trying to enforce Sharia law. 

“When we say government is not doing enough, it is allowing the culture of impunity to prevail in the country,” he says. “People are emboldened to commit more atrocities because when one is committed, nothing is done.” 

Nmadu is hopeful that a surge of international interest will be a catalyst for change in Nigeria. 

President Trump has declared Nigeria a country of particular concern and has even threatened to send US troops to the country if measures to stop the genocide are not taken. It’s a move that Nmadu says has pricked the ears of government officials in his home country. 

“And if this is the only thing that this has done, I think it’s a welcome idea,” he says.

Above and featured photos courtesy of Unsplash

Unknown Nations’ Greg Kelley connected with a partner whose daughter was among the original 315 people abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Secondary School in Niger state. She was also among the 50 students who escaped to safety over the weekend, praise God. 

But other news is surfacing that makes this kidnapping even more grim.

Fulani man in Nigeria. Courtesy of Pixabay.

“What we’re hearing now is it’s not so much about ransom. It’s purely about these people, and they’re Fulani bandits,” says Kelley. “It’s about them viewing this school as a soft target, them taking these girls, forcibly converting them to Islam, and then taking them on as their wives.” 

The abduction on Friday was Nigeria’s worst since the 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping of 276 Christian and Muslim schoolgirls. Dozens of those women remain missing today. 

In the aftermath of the 2014 Chibok school kidnapping, Kelley says, “I had met families who told me there were five parents — either a mother or a father — that they knew directly who died of a heart attack over the grief of it.”

Pray for God’s mercy and comfort for these families as they hope and wait. Pray for faithful endurance and miraculous deliverance of the boys, girls, and adult staff of the school. 

Gospel ministry is urgent

In the spiritual battleground of northern Nigeria, Unknown Nations’ partners continue to seek opportunities to share the good news of Christ — even today.

Nigerian children. (Photo courtesy of Victor Nnakwe/Unsplash)

“Our missionaries are working in these areas, and so it puts them in harm’s way. It puts their villages in harm’s way. A lot of times, people are scattering out of these areas. And what it does is it perpetuates the state of fear,” says Kelley. 

“There’s 100 million people who live in northern Nigeria, so it’s a massive concentration of population. Every single family now is going to be thinking twice about, ‘Do I send my child to school?’” 

Nigeria has a large Christian population in the south, but little momentum for gospel mission, says Kelley. 

“We need the church in the south to come to a place of desperation and brokenness where it’s finally mobilizing itself and sending missionaries into the north,” Kelley says. “Let’s remember, they don’t need a visa, they don’t need even a passport. They just need to get in a vehicle and drive north, and they have [an] abundance of resources to do it.” 

Ask God to stir up a greater passion for the Great Commission among believers in southern Nigeria, that they may find their place in gospel ministry to the north. 

Header photo of Nigerian church courtesy of Tosin Superson via Pexels.

A few hours after midnight on November 21, gunmen abducted 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Papiri Private Secondary School in Niger state.

Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says radical Islam may be a motive behind the kidnapping, “but there’s also a business side of it, as they’re holding people ransom in these parts of the world. We’re seeing more and more of those stories from the region.”

These disciples of Christ are passionately sharing God’s Word in North Eastern Nigeria.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Unknown Nations)

At least fifty students have since escaped. But as of Monday, no group had claimed the kidnapping. It occurred the same week that gunmen in a southern state kidnapped more than 20 schoolgirls.

Religious factors

For decades in Nigeria, there have been kidnappings and killings from radical Islamic groups such as Boko Haram or militant Fulani herdsmen. Friday’s kidnapping in Niger state calls back memories of the 2014 incident where Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, Nigeria. Dozens of those young women are believed to still be in captivity today. 

Although it’s complicated, there is a clear religious undertone to these security struggles.

“[In] northern Nigeria, there are so many different things going on,” says Kelley. “But what people need to understand is that more Christians are killed for their faith in Christ in northern Nigeria than the rest of the world combined.” (More on that here.)

Political clout 

The government’s lackluster response to these events has caused deep frustration in the nation. Kelley explains that this comes from the roles held by the Fulani and Hausa. These majority-Muslim people groups number in the tens of millions.

A new Christian holds a communion cup as an IMB worker leads the new believer and five other new Christians in taking the Lord’s Supper. (Photo and caption courtesy of IMB)

“They have tremendous influence in the government and in business, and so the government is almost afraid to stand firmly against them, for fear of repercussions on an even greater scale,” says Kelley. 

Complacent church

But there’s another reason that violence in the north is stuck on repeat. 

“Yes, we want to see the government of Nigeria stand and get involved and hold people accountable and put people in prison. Absolutely,” says Kelley. “But this is an indictment on the 100 million Christians in the south of Nigeria that have not gotten fully involved and engaged in missions in their own country in the north. They’re more focused on themselves than they are the north. I have dear friends who are Nigerian who would say the same thing.” 

It’s a hard truth, but it doesn’t have to stay this way. As we pray for freedom for the kidnapped students and staff, remember to ask God to raise up missionaries from the south full of the love of Jesus for the north.

“Until that day happens, these things [kidnappings and killings] can continue to happen because the perpetrators don’t know Christ,” says Kelley. “They need to hear the gospel message. Once the gospel gets into the north, these things will end. And nothing short of that is a solution.”

Header image is a representative stock photo from Lagos, Nigeria courtesy of Doug Linstedt via Unsplash.

Many of the pastors, directors, and workers at the conference work in challenging areas, including northern Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For countries in this region, it can be challenging to conduct street work ministry. Working with teams like Every Home for Christ allows World Missionary Press booklets to be distributed in closed areas.

Helen Williams with WMP says that despite persecution, jail time, and loss of family members, the workers keep on going and sharing the written Word of God.

While at the conference, Williams met with a young woman from Namibia whose husband was a WMP contact and national director.

Despite his passing in an accident a few months ago, Williams says, “I was just so blessed by her spirit

The One Africa Conference encouraged partners from several countries. (Image courtesy of WikiImages on Pixabay)

and by her willingness and by her friendship.”

“She was his partner in ministry, and she came up to me and thanked me for our prayers, hugged me, and told me that she’s going to continue the work. She’s going to do the paperwork and keep the office going,” says Williams.

“The ministry will take over and provide another director, but she’s going to stay with the work. We have a container in process and a language project in process, and she’s going to pick it up.”

Williams also met a coordinator from Angola who sent a sudden request a few months ago when the northern part of Angola had opened up for more outreach.

Williams met the contact early in the trip when he approached her and thanked her for the materials WMP sent him.

“This is the Lord’s plan, and we were able to respond. He came to us, and we were able to respond and get it there,” Williams says.

Another blessing was the opportunity to meet with a new coordinator from Zambia. As the previous one had too many other responsibilities, he knew that WMP was looking for another Zambian contact.

“His son and his son’s wife came up to us, and he said, ‘I can do this. I want to do this,’ and they were so excited,” Williams says.

Williams met with them and went through the expectations and logistics process, and says meeting them was the Lord’s time.

Ministry partners were grateful to WMP as they work to provide the Word of God in small booklets.

“It is just a unique piece of literature, and they know that literature in Africa is vital. They have the internet and they have digital and all of this, but the written Word is still well received and needed,” Williams says.

Please pray for those on the ground and praise God for their consistency and faithfulness. Pray for the Word to change villages and cities and to disciple believers.

WMP can print a booklet for $0.06 apiece, so even a small donation can bring the Word to somebody. Please pray over financial and logistical needs to be met as WMP works to fill orders during a transition time.

Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA)

President Donald Trump announced the change via social media on Friday. The designation is long overdue. Islamic extremists and Fulani militants have killed thousands of Christians in recent years. Hours after Trump’s announcement, armed militants attacked two communities in central Nigeria, killing least 17 Christians.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA explains what the CPC designation means. “It gives the [U.S.] administration a pretty big toolbox of possible options that they can bring to bear — both carrots and sticks — to try to move a government towards better protection of religious freedom,” he says. 

Since Friday’s announcement, Trump has also threatened military action if the Nigerian government does not take meaningful steps to protect its citizens.

“It certainly raises a lot of questions about the future,” says Nettleton.  “What are the options and what would the effectiveness be of an attempt by the U.S. military to ensure religious freedom in northern Nigeria?”

Nigerian children. (Photo courtesy of Victor Nnakwe/Unsplash)

Nigeria’s government insists that it guarantees religious freedom. But years of inaction and ongoing attacks on Christians in northern Nigeria tell another story.

“Certainly, there’s an argument to be made that the Nigerian government has not done everything they could. So now designating them as a Country of Particular Concern sort of puts the government on notice as opposed to identifying different terrorist groups that are involved in the persecution of Christians,” Nettleton says. 

Some officials say that Nigeria’s violence comes from conflict over resources and are not religiously motivated. It’s a multilayered situation, but religion does play a part. Data compiled by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa showed that for every Muslim killed in Nigeria’s violence between October 2019 and September 2024, there were 2.4 Christians killed.

Nigeria (Stock photo courtesy fo Gracious Adebayo via Unsplash)

Please pray

“Nigeria is relatively evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. The vast majority of Muslims live in the northern part of the country. That’s where we see Christian persecution most of the time,” says Nettleton. 

“It’s important to understand the nuance of the country and the fact that there is this sort of dividing line, and most of the persecution is happening in the northern part of the country.” 

Let this renewed CPC designation move you to pray for Nigeria. Pray for more Saul-to-Paul conversions of Muslim extremists and Fulani herdsmen. 

“We need to pray for Christians in Nigeria. We need to pray for Christians in other countries around the world where they are persecuted,” says Nettleton. 

Learn more about Nigeria’s long-running crisis here.

Header photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs, USA.

 “It’s a Bible college inside the prison for inmates,” explains Don Szolomayer, Director of International Affairs at PFC. “There are 143 total lessons in the whole course. So it takes about three to four years, depending. But the goal is once they go through all of that, those who graduate from it now become what we call an inmate chaplain.”

These inmate chaplains are trained to evangelize, teach, and disciple others through Scripture. The impact of this ministry is spreading.

Recently, Nigeria’s prison chaplains took their training to a new level. “About three or four weeks ago, they held a crusade with all of their inmate chaplains that have graduated,” says Szolomayer.

“They got permission from the officer in charge to go cell-by-cell evangelizing. Then on top of that, they had a full crusade out in the yard. This all went on for over a week and a half!

(Photo courtesy of Prisoners for Christ)

“So here is this group of men in this prison who’ve gone through this course, and now they’re putting feet to what they learned. They’re taking it actually step-by-step out into that prison — not just holding it to themselves — but actually going out and evangelizing and discipling.”

Szolomayer says prison staff are even noticing the change. “Something that we hear very often when we go into the prisons and the jails in other countries is, ‘How soon are you coming back?’ Because the officers see the difference that it’s making in their prison.”

Greg Von Tobel, President of PFC, emphasizes that this vision extends beyond Nigeria: “Our primary focus is to share the love of Christ and to save unrepentant sinners and move them to a situation where they’re now saved and can disciple other people.”

Yet, growth depends on resources. “If we had more volunteers that were qualified to go into prisons, we could cover more countries,” says Von Tobel. “Last year, we had 2.1 million inmates that attended our services. Out of that, as best as we can determine, 73,000 men, women, and children said yes to Jesus for the very first time.”

Learn more about PFC at their website and find ways to get involved.

Pray for more inmate chaplains to step up, and that prison officers would continue welcoming Gospel transformation inside. Ask God to multiply discipleship through Nigeria’s prison churches, that they may know Christ!

Header photo courtesy of Mirza Mustofa/Unsplash.

“He had that one booklet, and that is what he held onto, our booklet Help From Above,” WMP’s Helen Williams says. “It’s always just God speaking to one heart through the booklets.”

Williams first became acquainted with Charles through email earlier this summer. “He said, ‘I grew up in a village in Kogi State, Nigeria, in the early 1970s,’” she recalls.

“‘I’m presently in the United States, and there are two things on my mind: number one, I want to visit your office before I leave this world. And number two, I will be glad if you can send me a copy of your booklet, Help From Above.’”

In recent weeks, Charles met Williams and dozens of her coworkers during a tour of the Indiana-based WMP plant. “He sat here in my office and said over and over, ‘I’m here to thank you,’” Williams says.

“‘I have wanted all these years to come and thank you. Everybody in our village got your booklet, and it changed my life.’”

Cover art of Help From Above in Hausa, one of Nigeria’s top spoken languages.
(Photo courtesy of World Missionary Press)

Even though southern Nigeria is overwhelmingly Christian, biblical resources are few and far between, making WMP Scripture booklets extremely valuable.

“One (Scripture) booklet can reach a whole village,” Williams says. “One person will get a booklet, and they’ll go back to their village, pass it around, or they’ll get two or three and share them. Everybody gets to read them.”

World Missionary Press produces 10 million Scripture booklets each month, sending material to partners in over 200 countries. Learn more about WMP’s mission here.

“We provide it free of charge, and so not only can the pastors and missionaries do more, but the individual who gets it,” Williams says. “To have the booklet in their hand to read over and over and for the Spirit, then, to do the work – that’s why there’s such a demand.”

Help WMP put life-changing resources in the hands of people like Charles by donating here.

Header and story images courtesy of World Missionary Press. 

“Nigerian Christians are currently suffering in ways that we can’t even fathom [or] understand,” says Jason Taylor, head of Set Free Global, a division of Set Free Ministries.

See our complete coverage of Nigeria here.

Survivors often carry deep trauma, but hope is coming. In partnership with Neil Anderson, Set Free developed “freedom appointments,” a ministry tool that helps believers walk in healing through Christ. More about that here.

In Nigeria, “Denominational church leaders are inviting us to come in and train them so they can train their people and walk their own people through the freedom steps,” Taylor says.

Set Free Global has served East Africa for two decades. This year, they’re breaking new ground in Nigeria.

This month, “We’re completing what I’ll call the ‘first round’ of freedom appointments with seven pastors, and now we’re asking each one to choose a partner, really a disciple of theirs, to also go through the freedom appointment,” Taylor says.

“Once they go through that training, we’ll have two individuals in each church that can start doing freedom appointments with their congregants.”

After establishing the program, Taylor envisions believers taking a new cohort of seven individuals through the freedom appointment process every other month.

Nigeria has the second-largest Christian population in Africa, and the potential impact is enormous. Pray that believers will be empowered to serve Christ boldly, once freed from past traumas. Ask the Lord to bless the work of Set Free Global and its partners, especially Reverend Andaman.

Header image is a representative photo courtesy of TWR. 

The report was released by The Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), led by Christian criminologist Emeka Umeagbalasi. It also estimated “no fewer than 7,800 others were violently seized and abducted for being Christians.”

(Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs USA)

Christian Faith Ministries serves in Benue, a state in North Central Nigeria. In early July, four of their members were tragically killed in an attack.

Ruth Hodge, who co-founded Christian Faith Ministries with her husband Kent, discussed the persecution facing Nigerian believers in a podcast interview with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada’s Greg Musselman.

Ruth explains that many Christian villagers in Northern Nigeria have fled their homes and sought refuge in an old IDP (internally displaced people) camp. “That camp is occupied…but there’s no aid going there. Mostly, the men are staying in the villages to protect them, to try to drive out the Fulani when they attack, and to try to continue farming.”

Benue State is known as the food basket of Nigeria. “It’s the most fertile state of the whole nation,” says Ruth. “A lot of food is produced in Benue every year.”

However, violence and instability have devastated food production. “At the moment, nothing is coming out of Benue State. Very little food is coming out. The roads aren’t safe. People are being kidnapped on the roads. Trucks — if they’re going out with the produce — they’re looted, they’re stolen. The Fulani are well armed, full of ammunition, and the military is doing very little.”

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA)

Even in the face of persecution, Nigerian Christians long for their attackers to hear the Gospel — that even those who kill them might find salvation in Jesus Christ.

The provost of Christian Faith Ministries’ Bible school is ethnically Fulani, and Ruth notes, “We have about 50 Fulani students in our Bible school — that’s the ones I can think of immediately.”

These Fulani believers are reaching their own people with the Good News of Jesus.

Please pray with them for Fulani Muslims to turn from violence to the forgiveness and joy of Christ. Ask God to give persecuted believers in Northern Nigeria wisdom and protection as they care for their villages and families. Pray for the Church to be a bold witness of faith in the fire.

Header photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada.

“We’re hearing stories of people who were farming 100 acres, but now they’re only farming five acres, because [of] the Fulani. Their objective is to run these farmers out,” said Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations. 

Clashes between herdsmen and farmers have been happening in Nigeria since 2011. According to the World Food Programme, today nearly 5 million people in northeast Nigeria face acute food insecurity due to conflict. 

“The big issue that’s happening right now is the movement. For so much of the conflict, whether it was Boko Haram or the Fulani herdsmen, it was really concentrated in the northern part of Nigeria, north of the capital, Abuja,” said Kelley.

But the attacks have spread from the north into Central Nigeria’s breadbasket. Benue State and Plateau State have been hard hit.

Listening to audio Bible (Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)

“The Fulani herdsmen, they have the cows, and they’ll run them through these areas and trash the farmers’ lands, which ultimately disrupts the food [harvest],” Kelley said.  

“It’s not only the people that are dying immediately in the short term from the attacks, but the long-term instability is just threatening the entirety of this country.”

A Fulani attack on July 14th killed at least 32 people in a predominantly Christian farming village in Plateau State. 

“We’re moving into the second decade of these atrocities happening, and they’re really being overlooked [by the] authorities,” said Kelley. “No one is being held accountable.” 

Please pray for discipleship efforts that will reach northern Nigeria for Christ. 

“We need to continue to multiply leaders. We need to continue to get resources [there] like our solar-powered audio Bible. There’s obviously a humanitarian crisis that is underlying this whole situation [too],” said Kelley.

“But ultimately, when we’re praying, we need to pray for disciple-making movements to take place.”

Header photo of herdsman courtesy of Unknown Nations.