Nigeria, where 79% of global martyrs occur
May 11th    

Civil war-level territorial, ethnic, and religious persecution continues.

In 2022, Christians in Nigeria made up 46.4% (98 million out of the total population of 220 million), while Muslims accounted for 46.3%. Most Christians live in the south, while the north is predominantly inhabited by Muslims. In many parts of the North, Christians are under constant threat from attacks by Boko Haram, the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP), and the Fulani militiants. These groups aim to eliminate the Christian presence, and Fulani militants are ravaging Christian villages. Northern Muslims, wanting to establish an independent nation governed by Islamic Sharia law, are driving Christians out of areas such as the Kaduna Plateau, Benue, and Abuja in the central region. Gradually, Fulani militants are settling in the southern forests and attacking Christian farmers to prevent them from accessing their land, making the South increasingly unstable.

Nearly all Christians in the Northeast have lost their families due to violence. The entire congregation was expelled from their villages, and many pastors were forced to leave the area. There are approximately 3 million internally displaced persons, some of whom are staying in camps designed for refugees. Schools are barely functioning due to violence, and it is estimated that around 2 million children are unable to receive      education. In some regions, even food is hard to come by. The famine in the northern region is particularly due to farmers being unable to work because of the fear caused by ongoing violence. Christians from the Fulani tribe have also been imprisoned under Sharia law.

Nigeria’s global persecution index ranking has risen every year, from 14th place in 2018 to 7th place in 2022. Christians who have converted to Islam have also been expelled from their families or murdered. In 2021, the number of believers murdered for being Christian in Nigeria was 4,650, a sharp increase from 3,530 in 2020. This accounted for 79% of the 5,898 Christian martyrs worldwide. A total of 2,510 Christians were kidnapped, and 49% of faith-related sexual assaults occurred in Africa, the majority of which took place in Nigeria. Open Doors partners with local churches in northern Nigeria to support persecuted believers through trauma center ministry, Bible and disciple training, socioeconomic assistance, literacy projects, and global prayer support.

Persecution is rather becoming the source of strength for growth!

In 2011, a local Christian leader reported that the church in Nigeria was growing through persecution. Pastor Dave Philippe Mwelvisi, president of the Nigerian Association of Churches (CAN) Plateau State, said, “Rather, we are using this kind of oppression as a source of strength to grow.” He also emphasized the importance of spreading the gospel without persecution, especially to 17 newly ordained pastors. Four pastors from the church in Nigeria—Isaac Manawa, Emmanuel Mamuda, Emmanuel Maigari, and Gideon Mutum—are bold witnesses of Christ as they work to expand God’s Kingdom in the states of Borno and Kaduna, despite extreme persecution. Pastors Manawa and Mamuda, who have encountered Boko Haram multiple times, had to move their residences due to attacks. Pastor Maigari was taken captive by the Islamic extremist Fulani tribe, tortured, and threatened for over a month. Pastor Mutum was also threatened with death several times by the Fulani militants. Despite these dangers, these pastors continue to take risks to share the gospel and serve the church. A front-line minister from Voice of the Martyrs shared, “Although all these pastors faced persecution, they faithfully served the local church and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

In 2022, Oscar Amaechina, president of the African Missions and Evangelism Network in Abuja, explained how he began his ministry. He recalled, “People came to our mission field to kill us, and though we thought it was the end, we prayed and gave them food before we were murdered. They ate the food and left us.” He continued, “They returned, and one of the leaders, through an interpreter, told us, ‘We were here to kill you. We are poor and no one has ever given us gifts. We want to be Christians because of your gift.’” Amaechina said he was shocked and surprised by the attackers’ sudden change of heart. “We led them to Christ. Since that day, we have never refused to be kind. Kindness and love have power,” he said. Since its founding in 2007, the organization has been focused on gospel and humanitarian missions, forming a coalition of northern Nigerian churches and Christian organizations to reach the North African tribes.

In the organization’s annual report, Amaechina shared, “We are constantly being harassed, threatened, and assaulted. Our spirits are truly willing to do our work, but our bodies are getting weaker day by day.” In 2021, 231 people were converted through diaspora missions, and more than 10 participated in the discipleship program. He added, “We do not discriminate when distributing what we have. We do not share to convert them. We give because we love them. Whether they convert or not, we work together to show love.”

》Prayer Points

1. The persecution of Christians in Nigeria has been ongoing for a long time, and the deaths caused by violence, destruction, and terrorism are becoming more severe. Nevertheless, the number of Christians is not decreasing because they have not apostatized or left the church; rather, we are grateful that the number of people converting from Islam to Christianity continues to increase. Let us pray that the believers who have lost their families or are suffering physical and emotional pain due to the attacks of Islamic armed groups will be filled with God’s love and grace.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10,NIV)

2. Churches in Nigeria are in a race of patience during persecution, producing thousands of martyrs every year. Let us praise God for receiving their faith in a holy and pure manner. Let us pray that He will arm the churches more with the truth of the Gospel of the Cross, and that, through unceasing prayer, the gospel will spread throughout Nigeria and all nations.

10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.(Revelation 6:10-11,NIV)

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