Nigeria (MNN) — Last weekend, gunmen kidnapped more than 160 worshipers attending churches in northern Nigeria … or did they? Nigerian police say the news is false, while local residents insist that it’s true.
“This is not surprising in a lot of countries that we work in where there are attacks of this nature, abductions, and things like that,” says Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. “We don’t always get the information right away, so, often we sit on a number of stories and we wait to see, ‘Where do the real numbers [land], and how does the story play out?'”
He adds, “In Nigeria, though, it’s been fairly consistent that the reporting has come quickly and it’s been verified. In this particular case, it seems that stories are not being verified as quickly.”
Disinformation tactics could be at work. Brobbel says some might want to downplay a real kidnapping to avoid the chance of another United States airstrike. But others might want that type of intervention.
“Part of the issue is that we’re dealing with a very volatile region. Many of these places are remote, so they’re not easy to get to [in order] to verify quickly,” Brobbel says.
The bigger picture of Nigeria
Questions about the weekend mass abduction aside, kidnappings and killings are a core part of the strategy of Islamic militants in Nigeria.
Video screenshot of Rev. Gideon Dawel courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
“What I think we’re looking at is acts of terrorism within northern Nigeria meant to destabilize the region, promote fear, gain control, and further create this religious animosity that is happening there,” Brobbel says. (Listen to the story of one Nigerian pastor here.)
There’s another layer to Nigeria’s security issues, not only the clash between Islam and Christianity. One missionary to Nigeria told Brobbel that even posting guards can’t prevent attacks.
“It’s not like you can look at somebody and right away say, ‘Oh, that’s a Boko Haram fighter,’ or ‘That’s a Fulani herdsman,'” he says. “They blend in. They look alike, and then suddenly they can form and gather together.”
On top of that, when an attack is over, government authorities don’t always cooperate to bring justice.
Brobbel says the Nigerian Church continues to grow and to reach out in love to neighbors, but these believers are caught in a difficult time.
“Not all Christians respond in a godly way — in a biblical way — to these attacks,” says Brobbel. That’s why VOM Canada helps to equip Nigerian believers with a theology of persecution, in addition to practical aid. (More on VOM Canada ministry projects in Nigeria here.)
Find your place in the story
(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)
Please pray every day that God will strengthen the Nigerian church to stand in faith, “that leaders in Nigeria would not be tempted to take up arms and fight with the weapons of the world, but would recognize that their battle is not against flesh and blood,” says Brobbel.
“Pray for practical relief to be able to get into the country. There are Christians in IDP camps. There are food shortages and a hunger crisis that’s happening there because of the instability in the region. Farmers aren’t being able to get into their field to cultivate their crops.”
Finally, please take action by contacting your government representatives to raise awareness of what’s happening in Nigeria. Ask them to use their influence on Nigeria’s behalf.
Learn more about Nigeria at VOM Canada’s website.
Header photo of people praying in Nigerian church (photo courtesy of David Iloba via Pexels).
