It follows the murder of a Christian student, Deborah Samuel, for blasphemy earlier this month.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says false charges of blasphemy are increasingly being used against Christians. Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “They are saying some of the same things that Christians in Pakistan say. ‘Hey, this is just an excuse for violence. This is just an excuse for revenge.’ You can say anybody said something blasphemous, and then instantly they are attacked. There’s no chance for them to say, ‘Wait a minute, I didn’t say that.’”

“It is almost a death sentence to be accused of blasphemy.”

The murder of Deborah Samuel drew widespread condemnation. Two men will face charges for her death.

But will justice be done? Nettleton says, “We’ve seen situations in Pakistan where someone was arrested, and then they didn’t get convicted or the charges didn’t stick. So I think we have to watch. I hope the international community will watch closely what is happening. Hopefully, there is justice because that will send a message.”

How to pray

Ask God to protect Nigerian Christians and give them wisdom. They have a lot to navigate, Nettleton says, “Even in conversations. In this case [with Deborah Samuel] it was a WhatsApp group about a class. They need the wisdom to know what to say and how to respond.”

Pray also that their love will reveal Jesus to those who wish them harm.

The header photo shows a map of Nigeria with Bauchi State highlighted in red. (Photo courtesy of Himalayan Explorer based on work by Uwe Dedering, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

The price of the ceasefire: freedom for the arrested members of the group and the rebuilding of the destroyed mosque of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf.

Too high a price to pay? For its part, the embattled Nigerian government said it would not make a formal pronouncement yet on the ceasefire until it had time to study the conditions. "It seems the government and the military are working on the assumption that this is a legitimate ceasefire offer. The military there has kind of taken a 30-day "wait and see,'" notes Voice of the Martyrs spokesman, Todd Nettleton.

"If there are no incidents, if there are no attacks, if there are no church bombings for the next 30 days, then we'll know they're serious and then we can move forward," adds Nettleton.

Boko Haram is loosely translated "Western education is sinful" in Hausa. The group had its origins in Borno state, and under the banner of fighting to impose Islamic law on Nigeria, spread to Adamawa, Abuja, Bauchi, Niger, Kano, Yobe, Kadun,a and throughout other parts of Nigeria's northeast.

However, since the ceasefire was announced 17 days ago, nine women taking part in a polio vaccination exercise in Kano city were murdered, and three Korean medical doctors were killed in Yobe state. These attacks bear the hallmarks of the extremist group, but security forces admit that the violence could also have been a criminal gang profiting from the growing lawlessness in Nigeria's northeast.

That raises doubts about how much effect a ceasefire would have on security. Nettleton agrees. He goes on to explain, "They want westerners out of northern Nigeria, and they want to push for Sharia law in northern Nigeria. It is hard to imagine, for me at least, a situation where they stop short of that and agree to some form of compromise. So this may just be a small period of them sort of regrouping, but again, it's just so early that we don't know how this is all going to play out."

As to the reason this story has flown under the radar? Past history and several broken accords litter this road paved with good intentions. Nobody knows who backed the idea or who will cooperate with the truce. "Is this widespread? Is this going to come down from the top to everybody? Is this one small group that wants to have some peace, and maybe there are others who don't?" Nettleton asks.

There is some cautious optimism. Nettleton says partners have been sending back reports. "In the city of Maiduguri, which is kind of the headquarters of Boko Haram, there are stories of businesses returning to somewhat normal business hours, people in the markets, people in the streets, more so than they have been." Still, the instability has taken its toll. "One of the impacts of the violence is that a lot of Christians have left the area. They simply have said, ‘We don't have a future here,' so there's that. When you talk about outreach, it complicates things–even simply to have someone come visit your church."

People are jittery, especially those who gather on Sunday in church. "Any guests at a church right now in northern Nigeria are watched with some apprehension and even fear. I've heard of churches that are putting in metal detectors. I've heard of churches where the Christians literally are taking machetes with them to church in case there's a battle that breaks out during the service, in case they have to fight their way out of the building."

Please pray for God's protection, regardless of whether the cease-fire holds. Pray that Muslims there will be reached with the Gospel. What's interesting, says Nettleton, is that more and more, Muslims are disenchanted with the things they're hearing from the al-Qaeda-linked Boko Haram. "The truth of Islam is coming out, and that can be a time of seed planting and even a time of revival."

It implies that an
unknown subject can be identified by observing habitual characteristics. In this case, it's the group Boko
Haram that has been hard at work spreading its message of "Western Education is
sinful."

According to the Associated
Press, the group is responsible for attacks on schools, churches and police
stations. In the first six months of
2012, they killed well over 600 people and injured thousands more. They've
declared a jihad on Christians in the North and are pushing for Sharia law
throughout the country by whatever means possible. Yet, the government does not want them
identified as a terror group.  

Nigerian
government officials are protesting the U.S. State Department listing Boko
Haram as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization." It's a move that "boggles the mind,"
says Voice of the Martyrs USA spokesman Todd Nettleton. "In June, the State Department designated three of the top Boko
Haram leaders as 'Specially Designated Global Terrorists.' So the three top
leaders are terrorists, but the group itself is not a terrorist group? It makes
no sense."

Nettleton goes on to say it appears that "the status quo is working for them in the financial
and trade areas even if it is not
working for them in terms bringing a stop to these attacks."

There
are concerns that such a designation would give the group credibility and embolden them to more attacks. The government also says Nigerian travelers
would be inconvenienced by embarrassing scrutiny, humiliation and
harassment. "It
just complicates matters," says Nettleton, explaining the government rationale, "because it places restrictions on
travel, it places restrictions on aid. So from the government's perspective,
they don't want those restrictions; they don't want those issues to be raised. So they have said, 'Please don't call them a terrorist group.'"

Yet, Boko Haram's
objectives have been clearly stated. "This is a group that is trying to make Nigeria into a
Sharia state. They want to follow Sharia law. They have told the Christians,
'If you want peace in Nigeria, you should become Muslim because Islam is the
only religion.'" Their actions, in any
other context, would be considered terrorism. 

The government's
stance on the terror designation sends an odd message to the Christians who
have been caught between the desire to avenge loved ones, protect themselves,
and yet 'turn the other cheek.' Nettleton
notes, "The Nigerian government, while they
don't want the world to call them a terrorist group, seems completely incapable
of stopping the Boko Haram from these attacks."

Lack of
recognition or effective deterrence is fueling more dissatisfaction. Despite the frequency of the attacks, there's
been little attention paid to the plight of the Boko Haram's targets. Nettleton says, in fact, "The U.S.
Government has said, 'Poverty has really caused this. It's not a matter of
ideology. It's really a matter that the people are poor and they're
disenfranchised. That's why they've
blown up your church.' That's not even the reality.  I think there's a frustration that the world
doesn't recognize what's going on in Northern Nigeria."

However, Nettleton says even though the circumstances have
created incredible fear among Christians, it hasn't stopped the advance of the Gospel. VOM has come alongside to provide
support as needed, but he says, "Pray for the protection of all of our
brothers and sisters there, those who
are doing the Gospel work. I think, secondly, we can pray for fruit. We can
pray that they will find receptive hearts, receptive minds, and people who
really want to know the Truth."

According to police, gunmen fired on a Bible study at Deeper Life Church in central Nigeria Monday, killing at least 19 people–including the
pastor–and wounding others. Hours later, bombers struck a primary school in Lokoja,
the capital of Kogi state. There's
also been an unconfirmed media report of another bomb discovered at the Revival Church in the same area.

The attacks represent a move into the central region of the country. Although no one has claimed it, the attack fits the
style of Boko Haram, a radical Islamist sect.

Boko Haram, whose name in Hausa means "Western
education is sacrilege," is responsible for more than 660 killings this
year alone in Nigeria, many of them at churches.

In preparation for this story, Christian Aid Mission Africa Director Rae Burnett spoke with the head of the mission agency they
support to ask about the latest incident. While not dismissive of the tragedy, he indicated that there's more
violence than what occasionally gets reported in the media. "'If we told
you every time an attack occurs, or every time that shots are fired or bombs
are thrown, cars are hijacked or people are just killed, I would do nothing but
sit at my computer.'"

The tension levels are reaching critical mass. "Everybody is fearful–" explains
Burnett, "Christians and non-Christians
because you can be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's not just churches
that are being attacked."

Boko Haram has a singular focus: to re-create Nigeria as an
Islamic state, instill Sharia law, and eradicate the Christian population. Despite U.S. sanctions imposed on three
leaders of the group, they appear unfazed. In fact, says Burnett, "Just
this past week they threatened the president and said that he has to convert
to Islam and rule under Sharia."

The conundrum: the attacks open doors for the Gospel, but
also have been problematic. This particular ministry partner
also indicated that because they're using resources to assist the attack
victims in multiple areas, they can't maintain the work goals they wanted to achieve. 

Even so, Burnett says, "These missionaries are even
more committed to expending every ounce of their own lives for the Gospel of the
Lord, so they're not at all intimidated."

The work
of this ministry partner has now expanded geographically to cover most of the Islamic north of Nigeria. With
100 missionaries to oversee, there's a lot at stake. Burnett explains: "The headquarters is in extreme
danger because people do know what it is. Tthey hardly even go to their office,
but he needs to have a headquarters in which to operate."   

Christian Aid Mission helped buy land for a new building,
but then funds ran dry. The partner reports
that more than 50 pastors and missionary
leaders have so far died at the hands of Boko Haram. Burnett says, "This is really
a crucial thing for them. They're in extreme danger where they are now. It has nothing
to do with the missionary leaving the field. It's not the field. It's the headquarters of
the ministry. None of the missionaries have left the field and their places of
ministry."

Christian Aid wants to support this partner by raising as
much of the $35,000 needed as possible to start construction on a safer headquarters
in Abuja. See our Featured Links
Section for details.

In a press release by a Boko Haram leader,
the sect said, "We thank God for our success in the attack on Christians
at Barikin Ladi and Riyom, whereby security agents, Christians, and two state
and national assembly members were killed."

This is what makes the recent attacks noteworthy. Todd Nettleton, Communications Manager for the Voice
of the Martyrs USA, says the
extremists are bent on removing Christian presence in the north. In this latest press release, Boko Haram also essentially told Christians
that they must either convert to Islam or "they will not know peace again."

It is a jihad, a religious war against Christians for refusing to
embrace Islam. Nettleton explains, "In other words, 'We're going to keep up
these attacks; we're going to keep up this violence until every single Christian
in northern Nigeria has either converted to Islam, left the area, or been
killed.'"

Attacks occurred during  a
Saturday mass funeral of 63 Birom church members. Birom reprisals raised the
weekend death toll to 200. Word of
talks between the government and the sect were not independently confirmed. Because
the government has not had an effective security response, people in the north
and central Nigeria are feeling vulnerable.     

There were reports that some churches were beginning to go empty on
Sundays in Kaduna, Bauchi, and Kano States. However, in Jos, Nettleton says, "I spoke with a Nigerian Christian
recently who said the people were taking machetes with them when they went to church
because they knew that in just the act of going to church, they could become a
target. They wanted to some type of way of defending themselves if there was
an attack while they were at church."

The face that believers have not been intimidated away from their churches
in Plateau State is interesting. It's
part of the "paradox of persecution," explains Nettleton. "It changes your
entire mindset if going to church means 'I could be killed.' That really does
raise the significant issue of how important is it to gather with other believers
for worship, Bible study, and for other things when it literally means you could
give your life."

The scale of persecution of Christians by Muslims has
accelerated and is expected to
continue. It has caused the death of
thousands–including pastors, and the destruction of hundreds–even thousands,
of churches. More than 2,000 people have been killed since the Boko Haram
insurgency began in late 2009.

On the up side, says Nettleton, the threat does two things: "Nominal
Christians become more serious about their faith and make it much more
personal. The other thing: Gospel activity can produce fruit because in times
of upheaval, people are thinking about eternity."

The ministry has an active presence in Nigeria. VOM Medical helps victims of persecution, and
they partner with a school to help orphans whose parents were martyred for
their faith. "The other thing that we're involved in
is Bible distribution and providing Gospel material, children's Bibles, full Bibles, New Testaments, and other
Gospel presentations for the churches there."

Pray for wisdom and guidance for Nigeria's Christian president,
Goodluck Jonathan, and for all those who serve with him as leaders of this
nation. Pray that Christians will not retaliate but will demonstrate Christ's
love and peace.

The Voice of the Martyrs can always use help. Check our Featured Links Section for
details.

Africa Director for Christian Aid Mission Rae Burnett notes that was
even before the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab came into prominence.

Al-Shabaab is the Somalia-based cell
of al-Qaeda hunting down Christians in both Somalia and now, in Kenya. The
group has been getting bolder and more organized. Burnett explains, "There's been a huge, huge influx of Somalis
that have overrun the country, I mean even into Nairobi. They stick together,
and they are told by their government that now that there's so many of them
there, they really need to take over the country and establish Sharia."

It seems that the Kenyan town of
Garissa, right on the border with Somalia, was getting less and less friendly to
non-Muslims. "This
is a town, that when I hear the name, I know there's danger there," says
Burnett. She adds that in the 15 years she's been aware of the changing conditions there, Gospel inroads
have been made. "Missionaries have been putting churches there, trying to bring
people to Christ for years. They have now become a target of the Muslim
extremists."

However, that didn't always sit well
with the local population. "When
doing any kind of evangelical work, the Muslims have sent their children to
stone them." An indigenous ministry
leader helped by Christian Aid told Burnett that the most recent attack was more evidence of the hostilities in the
region toward Christians. "He said
that plans to burn the churches were executed inside the mosque. Their thinking
is that this is just totally for the outside world to hear."

Seventeen people were killed July 1 in Garissa as terrorists threw grenades into two churches and opened fire. It appears to be an effort to deepen rifts
between Muslims and Christians in Kenya. These same people are also blamed for
attacks on secular entertainment venues as well as the kidnapping and murder of
aid workers.

Communication
with indigenous ministries (supported by Christian Aid Mission) indicates increasing
alarm among believers and disruption to Gospel work.

In the wake of
the latest incident, one leader wrote:

This is big blow to our ministry vision, and
our outreaches among the Muslims in the northern frontiers of Kenya. We are so
much concerned at the trend of constant attacks on the churches in Kenya by al
Shabaab terror group. I was planning another outreach in that area. So many of
them have never been reached with the Gospel.

We are praying and planning to evacuate the
wife and her children for some time till the situation improves. Please pray
for our security. Any help extended to this family will be appreciated as we
move in to assist.

Another sent this message:

Most of our churches in Northern Kenya have
closed down due to attacks by the al Shabaab terrorists. The most affected areas
are Wajir, Modogashe, Liboi, Garbatulla, Merti, Turbi, parts of Marsabit and
some parts of Isiolo where you have spent so much time with the Samburu
believers. Most Christians had to evacuate to safer areas. Missionaries and
pastors who have been serving there had to relocate.

Now, there's word that Muslim
leaders are offering to protect Christians following the attacks. But, says Burnett, Christians are
incredulous. "Even if Muslims did offer something like that, no one would
accept it because they would believe it to be a threat based on their
experience with them in the past, particularly in an area like that where
everyone (the Muslim community) is so close knit."

Burnett notes that Christian workers explained why they're so distrustful. "As
these churches were being attacked, the Garissa women…(I'm reading directly
here) 'after the attacks in Garissa, young men and women were celebrating in the
streets.'"

Additionally, reprisal violence could be the spark that sets the tinder
box aflame. "The nominal Christians are often the ones that cause so much
of the problem. Those who really know the Lord, they understand the risk, and
they're willing to bring people to Christ and to risk their lives for
that."  

Gospel work continues, but believers are going to have to tread
carefully. Burnett says prayer is the best
defense. "Everyone, as a believer, needs wisdom and protection. We're
always in such danger, whether we know it or not. These men and women and children
who are on the forefront of this violence really need to know the Lord's will
and that Christ will be seen."

Check our Featured Links section for ways you can help.

Those are the words of a missionary leader in Nigeria affiliated with
Christian Aid Mission.

The leader goes on to say, "We have five missionaries there now whose
work among local unreached Muslim tribes has been very successful. They are
helping to comfort and shelter unprepared villagers who fled in terror as
heavily-armed Muslim militants invaded without warning. No police or soldiers
have come, and it is doubtful they will."

Due to the influx in violence by terror group Boko Haram, the team wants to move missionaries out
of the dangerous area. But there are no funds to do so.

Missionaries in nearby fighting areas have been moved already. They are
planning to return soon, but for now they are struggling in a new place with their
children and Muslim converts that left with them.

"When the killing began in the main city, Muslims in the small town started
intimidating our people," the missionary leader adds. "They told them to leave
or be blamed for the killing because we are making their people Christians. The
village chief has welcomed and accepted our people, but he was afraid of the
militants, so we temporarily retreated the missionaries."

At the same time, there is good news. Many Muslims have come to Christ
and are now safe from harm in a discipleship center. But there are unmet needs
there, also. The new believers are in need of mosquito nets, school
supplies, and medical supplies.

"We are so grateful for the many years of loving prayer and financial
support from Christian Aid," the missionary continues. "We are just
reeling with unbelief at the horrors our country is experiencing at the hands
of these terrorist murderers. We know our Lord will use it all for good." 

Pray for the peace in Nigeria. To help bring missionaries out of harm's
way and to provide for the basic needs of new believers, click here, or call
800-977-5650. Click here to learn more about Christian Aid's work around the
globe.

Kaduna and Damaturu were under lock down 24-hours-a-day,
while soldiers patrolled the nearly deserted streets.

The Sunday bombings struck three churches in Kaduna State,
killing at least 21, presumably all of them Christians. 

Boko Haram claimed the attacks, saying they're fighting for
an Islamic state under Sharia law. The extremist group does not recognize the
Nigerian government or the constitution. The group is also well-funded and organized. According to Christian Aid Mission, the
government is ignoring the threat.

The church bombings are a serious threat to the stability of
Nigeria due to the current religious divisions. The danger is that this week's
retaliatory attacks will continue, spiraling out of control.

Rae Burnett, Africa director for Christian Aid Mission, says the good news is that missionaries of the indigenous Nigerian ministries they
help have not been directly targeted by Boko Haram. However,
several supporters have been murdered, and random terrorist shootings have come
close, too. Burnett goes on to note that these
missionaries have not involved themselves at all in politics, only the Gospel,
and they have kept a low profile until now.

Burnett shares a dispatch she just received from a *ministry
leader who has been her friend since 1996.

Terrorists
have struck again. This time we had to evacuate our missionaries from Kandawa
fields as Muslim militants discovered the work and threatened them. Right now,
we need your prayers as Chris (the overseer of all ministry work in the
northern Islamic area) is still trapped in the fields with several
missionaries, some with infants.

On
Sunday, three churches were bombed in Kaduna and Zaria, killing several people.
This led to reprisals and killings all over the place. Yet the government
is doing nothing.

More
than 65 people are already confirmed dead. A 24 hour curfew has been declared,
and we do not know how to reach the converts in the war zone.

Before
today, Boko Haram had not done so much damage to us in this part of the
country. We are appealing for funds to buy mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets,
and food for our converts that are about to move out.

This
is urgent. We have dispatched three other staff, but there is no access to
the area. Fighting and fighting. Please we need your prayers for Nigeria. I am
writing this in the midnight asking for all our friends to pray and help. You
can also send support to them. Our staff for the first time are affected in
this kind of killing. Help and ask believers to pray and support. We need your
support and we need your prayers.

The
converts too need prayers. We do hope you will pray for Nigeria now.

We
need to relocate quickly. I am currently in Abuja (the capital city) and will
go to Kebbi state to rescue our staff as soon as possible, but no going in or
out of the area for now. We want to be ready immediately when they can escape
with their converts.

We
are so grateful for the property Christian Aid enabled us to buy, but we must
have resources to build our simple headquarters and a place to help these
victims of terrorism.

Thanks
for your prayers for Nigeria and others around us.

This
indigenous Nigerian ministry has experienced tremendous open doors for the Gospel
in Islamic strongholds that have never before been evangelized. However, because of Boko Haram, they have to
move their headquarters from an Islamic state where they have been in peace for
more than 25 years, to a centralized and neutral place better suited to direct
the work.

Christian
Aid has provided the land, but $35,000 is needed to provide a simple
headquarters building where the leader and staff would also live.

After
so many years, the work is well-known and could be targeted at any time. Please
pray for these heroes of the faith as they continue to press forward with the Gospel
in this time of extraordinary danger.

*The ministry name is not mentioned for security.

In both attacks, Christians were targeted while they were
attending worship services in Kano and Maiduguri, the capital of Northeast
Borno state.

Bill Bray, a spokesman for  Christian Aid Mission notes, "It's
strange that the Boko Haram are attacking churches, but most of the new
converts from Islam are meeting in small discipleship groups in homes and face-to-face."

Police say the unclaimed attacks bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram's
work. Bray explains, "Many times,
you will see similar reports. They'll light a house on fire, or light a church
on fire, and then, as the people come out they'll fire on them, or just hack
them with machetes."

In the Kano State attack, gunmen struck Bayero University–in an
area where churches hold their services. Someone threw homemade explosives,
and Christians were gunned down trying to escape.

Authorities also say that the later attack in Maiduguri saw gunmen
open fire at a Church of Christ in Nigeria chapel, killing five people,
including a pastor preparing for communion.

Christian Aid supported Nigerian partners planted over 34 churches in the area
last year. "This area is an area of
tremendous church growth," says Bray, adding, "It's [near] a fault line
between the Christian South and the Muslim North. There's been tremendous fruit
among the Fulani people in this area."

However, in spite of the increased number of terrorist attacks
from Boko Haram,  Bray says, "It's not slowing the work
of God down in any way. They have a Bible school there. They have an
agricultural assistance program." They're also providing literacy programs,
schools, and veterinary services.

Rae Burnett, the African Director for Christian Aid, speaking
earlier on the crisis in northern Nigeria and throughout North Africa, praised
the native missionaries. "Under threat of persecution and even death, these men
and women are quietly, wisely, and successfully bringing the Gospel to their
people. Scrutiny has greatly increased since the recent unrest began, and I am
so grateful to have these working contacts in place during this time of
intensified crisis. But it must be understood: for these men and women, every
moment of their lives has been potentially dangerous since the day they became
followers of Christ."

Bray says right now, the violence has created another huge issue.
"There's a lot of movement of refugees. Many Fulani are moving out of
their home villages where they are persecuted and into cities and safer areas." Christian Aid Mission is collecting
emergency relief for refugees and victims of such attacks,
gift code 500-IUCN.

Christian Aid Mission is also asking for prayer. "Pray for those on the front-line. They're taking the risks that they will continue to be encouraged
and have that Holy Spirit-inspired fortitude that they need to keep
witnessing."

One person
was killed and nine others were injured after suspected Islamic
extremists attacked a TV viewing center in a Christian area of Jos where a
crowd had gathered to watch a soccer game.

Shortly after
10:00 pm local time, an eyewitness told Compass Direct News that extremists drove
past the field and threw an explosive device at hundreds of Christians watching
the match.  

CDN reports, "Various
churches in the Tudun Wada area of Jos commonly use the site as a base for
evangelistic campaigns aimed at social venues in the area. Christian and Muslim
communities live in close but separate quarters of the Tudun Wada area of Jos,
and the attacks have heightened tensions between them. The area comprises eight
churches."

It's the second
time extremists have attacked a large, public gathering of Christians. The other recent incident involved the Easter
Day services where a bomb detonated just a few meters from the gathering, injuring five Christians.

In Nigeria, more
than 300 Christians were martyred last year. Since 2009, the extreme Islamic
group Boko Haram has destroyed more than 50 churches and killed 10 pastors in
Nigeria.

The country
is ranked No. 13 on the Open Doors World Watch List of 50 countries which are
the worst persecutors of Christians. According to the World Watch List, Nigeria had
at least 300 martyrs in 2011, although the actual number could be doubled or
tripled.

Please pray
for those who are grieving. Pray that God will give grace to the injured to help
them overcome their physical and emotional wounds. Pray for members of extremist
groups that the Holy Spirit would bring them to full repentance.