It was a normal Monday night for Christian girls attending a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria. The school had been closed because of the increasing threat of attacks by militant groups, but the girls returned for one day to take their exams.
Most of the girls were busy going over notes and memorizing last-minute information when yells and gunshots broke the calm silence. Suddenly, Boko Haram fighters disguised as Nigerian soldiers flooded into the school. Before the night was over, they had forced 276 girls into the back of trucks and disappeared into the nearby Sambisa Forest.
Nigeria’s History of Conflict
Nigeria has been embroiled in conflict for years
In the 10 years since Boko Haram made global headlines for their brutality in the Chibok school kidnapping, millions of other Nigerian men, women, and children have suffered at the hands of radical militant groups.
Christians make up around 46 percent of the Nigerian population, while Muslims constitute most of the other half. This makes Nigeria the largest country where both Christianity and Islam are major religions.
There’s been tension between the two groups since the 1950s. However, the conflict escalated in 1999, when many Muslim states in northern Nigeria declared allegiance to sharia law — a set of rules based on the Quran. As a result, Christians in these areas began to experience discrimination.
This new institution of Islamic law also further divided the country between the Muslim-majority north and the Christian-majority south.
A New War on Christianity
Boko Haram spread terror across northern Nigeria with their deadly attacks
In the early 2000s, a new militant group began to gain power. They were called Boko Haram, which roughly translates to “Western education is forbidden.”
True to their name, Boko Haram was intent on destroying Western ideas in Nigeria, including Christianity. Members of Boko Haram often targeted civilians and villages using brutal guerilla warfare tactics.
As the group terrorized communities in northern Nigeria, the world began to take notice. Other countries could no longer ignore the way Boko Haram kidnapped children, sexually abused women, and killed anyone they perceived as a threat to their ideas — especially Christians.
Then, in April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 teenage girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, a Christian community in northern Nigeria. They were forced to convert to Islam and marry members of Boko Haram. Those who refused became slaves … or worse.
The global community quickly took notice and fiercely advocated for the girls’ return. News outlets and human rights groups condemned Boko Haram and its radical leader, Abubakar Shekau, for their heinous crimes against innocent civilians.
Over the next 10 years, Boko Haram would steadily lose power as they fought against defense forces and eventually split into two different groups. Still, opposition forces couldn’t totally wipe them out. They continued to terrorize villages in the north, attacking Christians and kidnapping even more children.
The Ongoing Crisis
Nigerian Christians are still in danger of more deadly attacks and kidnappings
For most people living outside Nigeria, Boko Haram is in the past. But for Christians living in the country’s northern region, militant Islamic groups still pose a very real — and very deadly — threat.
In fact, more Christians are killed in Nigeria than in all other countries combined. This is largely due to the increasing number of attacks by surviving pockets of Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
According to Open Doors International, an organization that tracks Christian persecution worldwide, these ongoing attacks are often “brutal in nature and can involve destruction of properties, abductions for ransom, sexual violence and death.”
Christian villages are also falling victim to Islamic Fulani militants. They frequently attack and burn communities, kidnap their people, and destroy their crops to claim the land for themselves.
Why Nigerian Christians Need Help
Christian persecution in Nigeria is spreading
Even though Christian persecution has reached extreme levels in Nigeria, most news media doesn’t cover the targeted killings and violent attacks happening in many parts of the country.
In 2023 alone, over 8,000 Christians were reportedly killed because of their faith. This has earned Nigeria a reputation as the world’s center of Christian martyrs. Yet, it remains one of the most underreported crises in the world.
Christians and other civilians who survive attacks often end up displaced and severely impoverished. With no way to earn a living, many parents struggle to feed their children and are malnourished themselves. They must also deal with intense trauma and the loss of loved ones.
Plus, men, women, and children who are displaced in northern Nigeria still face the constant threat of terrorist groups. Most times, they have no way to protect themselves.
What You Can Do
You can provide help and hope to hurting Nigerian Christians today
Thousands of Nigerian Christians continue to suffer extreme persecution while fearing the world has forgotten them. You can be a reminder that they’re not alone — a reminder that God sees them and loves them.
In Ephesians 6:18, God tells us to never stop praying for other believers. Will you commit to praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria?
— Pray for the safety of believers under threat.
— Pray for lasting peace in northern Nigeria.
— Pray that displaced Christians and others would receive lifesaving aid.
— Pray that laws would be passed to protect Nigerian Christians.
You can also give financially to help persecuted Christians in need. Christians aren’t just persecuted in Nigeria — Christ-followers in countries like North Korea, India, and China also face discrimination and violence for their faith. Your gift will provide lifesaving help and hope to those who need it most. Best of all, it will be a precious demonstration of God’s love and provision.
Will you stand with Nigerian Christians and other persecuted believers around the world?