“When you have a Muslim dominated area like Northern Nigeria, the imams and the Spiritual leaders run the day,” he says. “They are the biggest influencers in the entire community.”

Politicians are afraid to stand against their edict, in part because doing so means loss of political support as a baseline outcome. More Christians live in Nigeria than in any other country in Africa, but they are concentrated in the South. 

“It’s very much a tale of two stories: a Muslim North that’s dominant and a Christian South that is equally dominant,” Kelley says. 

Kano State is among several other Northern Muslim states abiding by Sharia law, which calls for drastic responses to those who fall afoul of blasphemy laws.

“It’s hard to understand the intensity,” Kelley says. “We’re talking about an area – that Kano is included in – where more Christians are killed for their faith in Jesus than the rest of the world combined.” 

He says the few Christians in Northern Nigeria are crying out to the International community for aid. 

“Unfortunately, until these radicals in the North are reigned in, these acts of terror are just going to continue,” he says. 

But the ultimate answer to Nigeria’s northern troubles is not political or diplomatic. Kelley sees the church in Nigeria’s South as a key to all of this. He is calling for directional prayers regarding this matter: that the church in the South would be bold and courageous to engage in this situation more actively. 

“Because largely in the South, the two dominant Christian groups have wiped their hands of issues in the North,” he says. 

Please pray that the church in Nigeria’s South would take on a missional mindset toward its northern neighbors, rather than an oppositional perspective that writes off those in Islam’s grip. 

“The gospel is the only thing that is going to change Northern Nigeria,” Kelley says. And faithful believers carrying the good news is the way it’s going to get there. 

Images used in this article courtesy of Kazys Photography via Pexels.

Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs, USA said, "In this most recent event, which happened in May, we have seen young Muslims–reportedly as many as 100 of them–coming onto church property, attacking the people who were there, and burning down the buildings."

Fortunately, no one was killed. However, because of the number of deaths early this year, this attack mostly went under the radar. The violence that does get reported is rarely referred to as "religious persecution."

"Typically, when we hear reports of the violence in Nigeria, we don't hear the words 'Christian persecution.' What we typically hear is that great phrase 'sectarian violence,'" Nettleton said.

With Nigeria divided almost in half, with Muslims to the north and Christians to the south, not all of the violence is radical Muslim attacks against evangelical Christians. Many nominal Christians, or people who call themselves "Christians" because they are not Muslims, have lashed out against Muslims, as well.

Plus, not all violence stems from religious causes. According to ABC News, ethnic tensions prevail, primarily between the Berom group (deemed mostly Christian) and the largely-Muslim Hausa and Fulani groups. Additionally, access to oil revenues contributes to political distributes throughout the country.

Though all attacks may not stem from religious differences, they still cause much strife and hurt in victims' lives. Yet, Nettleton said he holds hope for the future of Nigeria because of the way Christians have responded.

After the March massacres, one pastor preached a striking sermon on forgiveness. "One of the things that he pointed out was: this is what happened to Christ. He was persecuted. We're experiencing that firsthand right now in our lives. When Christ hung on the Christ, He said, 'Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.' This is our chance to step forward and experience that as well," Nettleton said.

And Christians are listening to this message. "In spite of the attacks, they are standing strong in the Gospel and in the message of forgiveness. We pray that this can be the seeds of revival," Nettleton said.

Pray also for the physical recovery, as Christians in Kano look to rebuild their churches. You can visit VOM's Web site for updates on the church in Nigeria and around the world.

A report from Compass Direct News
says hundreds of Muslims went on a rampage burning Christian shops and vehicles
on claims that a Christian had blasphemed the Islamic prophet Mohammed.
Thousands of Christians were trapped in churches until police dispersed
rioters. 

Voice of the Martyrs' Todd
Nettleton explains, "There has been tension in Kano, and across Northern
Nigeria between Muslims and Christians. So, just hearsay that Mohammed had been
blasphemed against was enough to stir people to violence." 

Police intervened when Muslims at
a market in the Sabon Garia area of the city reportedly attacked the Christian
who was blamed for sparking the incident.

The Compass
report went on to say that the Muslim mob went to the police station,
threatening to burn it down unless officers released the Christian to be stoned
to death in accordance with Sharia law. Police were able to disperse the mob.

Although the
violence and the riots haven't seen many headlines as of late, that doesn't
mean the sectarian troubles have disappeared. 
In fact, Nettleton says, the the push to implement Sharia law in the
region may be inflaming the attacks.

With jittery nerves, Christians,
particularly those involved in outreach, are laying low.  Nettleton says,  "It is dangerous to be a Christian in
northern Nigeria, particularly if you're involved in outreach.  Hundreds of Christians have now gone to the
police station, they've gone to the military bases saying, 'we believe this
attack is not over, we believe there will be more violence.  Protect us from that!'"

Pray for peace and strength for Christians facing opposition
from Muslims in Nigeria. Pray that Christians will demonstrate the love of
Christ, in spite of the opposition that they face.

Voice of the Martyrs Canada's Glenn Penner says it started
when "a group of Muslim students barged into a room that was shared by some Christian students at a local secondary school.  When the principal arrived on the scene, the
Muslims said that these two fellows had drawn a picture of Mohammed on a local
mosque and were now planning an attack on Muslim students."

The situation continued to escalate, resulting in a riot
which left at least nine Christians dead. More than 50 people were injured, and more than 500 members of the minority Christian population were displaced. Although it has not been front page news, the sectarian violence has
never stopped. It was simply
overshadowed by other crises.

Penner explains that this latest event was the latest in a
series of deadly religious clashes in Africa's most populous nation of 140
million, which is almost equally split between adherents of the two religions.

Worse, it's unlikely the whole truth will ever be fully
revealed about the riots. Authorities have removed all corpses in a likely
attempt to obscure the true death toll. Local police have also sealed off the
area and denied access to those seeking to provide assistance.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports indicate that three
pastors from the state capital were detained when they tried to evacuate
members of their denomination. Three Christian members of the Nigerian Air
Force who were accompanying them were also detained. The pastors have since
been released on bail. The other three remain in custody.

In all of this, there's a question of whether or not the
violence quells evangelistic fervor. 
Penner says, "Nigerian Christians do continue to reach out and to
spread the Gospel. Of course, there is concern and fear of violence, and
Christians in the North are asking, 'Is it necessary for us to move to the
south as well?'"

Church leaders are urging people not to retaliate or inflame
the situation further. "Pray that
they'll be able to teach and instill in their young men, particularly, how to
respond to persecution in a Christ-like fashion."

Pray that Christians will rely on the Holy Spirit to
comfort, strengthen and embolden them in the aftermath of this brutal attack.
Pray that those who have lost loved ones will find peace in the fact that those
who suffer with Christ will be glorified with Him. Pray that the three detained
believers will be released.