Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA (VOM) says, “People came in on bikes and motorcycles, opened fire. The initial reports were at least 30 people killed. I think that number is going to rise as some were badly injured.”

This coordinated attack targeted believers, as the affected community in northern Jos is almost entirely Christian.

“The gunmen were yelling, ‘Allahu akbar,’ or ‘Allah is great,’ as they were conducting this attack,” Nettleton says. “So there clearly was an Islamist ideology that was driving this – and the fact that it was on Palm Sunday, I don’t think that is insignificant in this story as well.”

(Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs USA)

Northern Nigeria remains a hotspot for Christian persecution. That reality makes it difficult for believers to discern between empty threats and imminent danger.

Nettleton says, “Our Nigerian contact said there had been threats in Jos. Even in the last two or three weeks, there had been threats made against Christians, against churches…. The threat level is always elevated. So [it means] differentiating between, ‘Is this sort of a regular threat? Or is this really serious? Do we need to pay extra attention to this?'”

Boko Haram and Fulani militants frequently carry out attacks on Christians in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north. While neither group has officially claimed the attack in Jos, Christian holidays often become opportunities for Islamist violence.

“One of the things that we…at The Voice of the Martyrs try to do is bang the drum for us to remember Christians are at extra risk on these holy days – on Christmas, on Easter. During times when there are a lot of Christians gathering, the gatherings are obviously known. They’re very public, and so the risk is greater in these holidays.”

(Photo courtesy of VOM USA)

With Easter quickly approaching, the Church in Nigeria needs your prayers.

Nettleton urges, “Think about brothers and sisters who are worshiping and celebrating the same resurrection we are, but they’re doing it in a place where they are in danger, where the threat is very real to them – to pray for them, to remember them as Hebrews 13:3 tells us to do. I think, honestly, that adds a depth to our celebration of the resurrection.”

Header photo courtesy of VOM USA.

“We’re hearing stories of people who were farming 100 acres, but now they’re only farming five acres, because [of] the Fulani. Their objective is to run these farmers out,” said Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations. 

Clashes between herdsmen and farmers have been happening in Nigeria since 2011. According to the World Food Programme, today nearly 5 million people in northeast Nigeria face acute food insecurity due to conflict. 

“The big issue that’s happening right now is the movement. For so much of the conflict, whether it was Boko Haram or the Fulani herdsmen, it was really concentrated in the northern part of Nigeria, north of the capital, Abuja,” said Kelley.

But the attacks have spread from the north into Central Nigeria’s breadbasket. Benue State and Plateau State have been hard hit.

Listening to audio Bible (Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)

“The Fulani herdsmen, they have the cows, and they’ll run them through these areas and trash the farmers’ lands, which ultimately disrupts the food [harvest],” Kelley said.  

“It’s not only the people that are dying immediately in the short term from the attacks, but the long-term instability is just threatening the entirety of this country.”

A Fulani attack on July 14th killed at least 32 people in a predominantly Christian farming village in Plateau State. 

“We’re moving into the second decade of these atrocities happening, and they’re really being overlooked [by the] authorities,” said Kelley. “No one is being held accountable.” 

Please pray for discipleship efforts that will reach northern Nigeria for Christ. 

“We need to continue to multiply leaders. We need to continue to get resources [there] like our solar-powered audio Bible. There’s obviously a humanitarian crisis that is underlying this whole situation [too],” said Kelley.

“But ultimately, when we’re praying, we need to pray for disciple-making movements to take place.”

Header photo of herdsman courtesy of Unknown Nations. 

Less than three weeks after over 200 Christians were massacred in Yelwata village, Benue State, four more were killed in the same area. In nearby Plateau State, six Christians were slain last week in Riyom County — part of 64 killings in recent weeks. Beyond the physical destruction, vast hectares of farmland have been lost and many homes burned.

Greg Musselman from Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, “The sad part about this is that the security forces don’t seem to have either the will, the manpower, the know-how — whatever it is — to be able to stop these attacks.”

People praying in Nigerian church (representative photo courtesy of David Iloba via Pexels)

More than six extremist ideology groups, despite their differences, are joining forces and recruiting more fighters. Among them are Boko Haram, the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), the broader Islamic State network, the Taliban, Fulani herdsmen, and Lacurawa.

“These Islamic groups seem to feel that they can just attack the Christians and not much is going to happen to them,” says Musselman.

The geography of violence is also shifting — spreading from northern to southern Nigeria. Many Christians flee their homes, but some are still pursued, as seen in recent attacks in Benue and Plateau states.

Musselman explains: “You’ve got families already grieving. They’ve lost their loved ones, and now they know there’s really no safe place to go — and these militias are determined to rid these areas of Christians.” Their goal is to spread fear, demoralize the church and many Christians, and force them to flee.

Some believers accept the risk of martyrdom and remain in their homes.

Musselman adds, “And they’re saying, ‘Well, you know, if we die, we die…’ And others, they’re overwhelmed by the fact that they could be killed.”

The despair is real, but so is the response. The Church, both locally and globally, is rising to pray and act. Voice of the Martyrs Canada is helping raise awareness and provide support for Nigerian Christians.

Pray that Nigerian Christians will have the freedom to believe in Christ in their own homeland!

Header photo: Nigerian church (courtesy of Tosin Superson via Pexels).

Since May, over 450 believers have been killed in targeted attacks across northern Nigeria. Yet, Greg Kelley with World Mission says these threats stand out.

“The thing that’s most concerning to me is the location of it,” Kelley says. “Plateau State is very much in the center of Nigeria.

“Now, in the past, we’ve been talking about these atrocities and the challenges and the attacks and the killings and the violence. It’s all primarily happening in the northeast/northwest areas of Nigeria. This is very much right in central Nigeria, which is incredibly concerning…. It feels like things are really moving south and there’s a real intentionality to it.”

These disciples of Christ are passionately sharing God’s Word in Northeastern Nigeria.
(Photo, caption courtesy of World Mission)

The conflict is farmers who are mostly Christian and the Muslim Fulani who are cattle herders.

Locals in Hukke Village, Riyom, and Barkin Ladi received these letters written in Hausa, the Fulani language. The letter also expressed no desire for peace with the Christians.

Kelley says, “I really believe, at the end of the day, this is a spiritual battle because Nigeria is the most strategic country in the entire continent of Africa. You have over 220 million people living there – by far the most populated country. It’s located right in the central part of Africa.”

The best way to calm the ongoing conflict in northern Nigeria is with more efforts to bring the Gospel.

World Mission sends solar-powered audio Bibles called Treasures into northern Nigeria, specifically to reach Muslim communities with God’s Word.

Kelley says Christian survivors of attacks also need counseling and the support of the Body of Christ. “It’s not easy to preach the Gospel to the oppressed and the brokenhearted and the traumatized. These people need food, they need water, they’ve lost their home, and then that doesn’t even mention the issue of the safety of the missionary.

“There’s a lot of challenges that are going on, but God is able. We have to continue to pray for Nigeria that there would be peace.”

Pray for the Gospel to take root in northern Nigeria, and for protection against any threats of attack for Christians in central Nigeria.

Header photo courtesy of World Mission.

Twelve children were burned beyond recognition in the latest attack on a Christian village. Last month, Fulani herdsmen killed 36 believers between August 4 and August 28.

“I’ve talked to leaders and they say, ‘We used to go out for a meeting and if we had to travel across the country, we would be fearing for our safety,’” Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada says.

“Now they’re saying, ‘We’re fearful even in our own homes.’”

Attacks like this often leave believers without food or shelter. Help persecuted Nigerian Christians through VOM Canada.

“The Bible teaches a lot about [caring for] the widows and the orphans, so we need to be doing that,” Musselman says.

“There are some very practical needs in terms of food and clothing, and [we help] believers set up businesses so they can be self-supporting. The Family of Martyrs fund helps women who have lost their husbands and are trying to support their children.”

Sorrows relentless in Nigeria

Believers have suffered tremendously in the past 15 years. See our full Nigeria coverage here. Islamic militant groups Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen are working together to purge Nigeria of Christians.

“The Bible’s pretty clear; the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church,” Musselman says.

“But it is a war, and many of our brothers and sisters are paying a huge price for following Jesus.”

According to persecution watchdog Open Doors, “more Christians are murdered for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country.” Hear first-hand accounts from Nigerian Christians here.

Nonetheless, hope remains. “It’s a difficult situation each and every day. They’re living under constant fear and threat. But it doesn’t stop believers from sharing the message of Jesus with their Muslim neighbors,” Musselman says.

Nearly all Christians in northeastern Nigeria have lost family members in attacks by Boko Haram or Fulani Islamic militants.
(Photo courtesy VOM USA)

Ask the Lord to give Nigerian believers courage and strength to endure persecution. Use the prompts listed alongside this article to guide further intercession.

“They (Christians) feel so vulnerable, but in many cases, [believers say], ‘We’ve got nowhere else to go, our family is here,” Musselman says.

“Their only hope is God, and [that He will] protect them. That’s how we need to be praying for them – that they don’t get overcome by fear, and they would be able to live peaceful lives.”

Header image courtesy of VOM Canada.

Several brutal assaults took place just this week when Fulani herdsmen killed men, women, and children.

Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs USA (VOM USA) says since March 23, “Our workers in Nigeria have identified 13 different attacks, mostly in Kaduna state and Plateau State, involving a total of 44 people being killed. The rate of attacks has just kept right on going in spite of the coronavirus, and in spite of the shelter in place orders that people are trying to follow around the world.”

A waterfall in Kaduna State. Pray that violence against Christians will end in Nigeria and that Christ’s love and justice will flow over the country. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Most of these attacks have been perpetrated by members of the Fulani tribe. Nettleton says attackers struck every few days throughout the month of April and into May. “That points to the animosity that the attackers have. It also points to the inability of the Nigerian government to put a stop to these kinds of attacks and to protect their citizens.”

One Church

Christians around the world form one Body, Nettleton says. And when one part feels pain, the other members feel it too. “Voice of the Martyrs is privileged to be able to stand with them. And in fact, I received a picture this week of one of our workers in Nigeria, with a mask on to protect against the coronavirus, but delivering aid to some of the families who had been affected by these attacks.”

You can help VOM USA serve Christians in Nigeria. Nettleton says, “Voice of the Martyrs invites people to support our work in Nigeria, and to support the delivery of the aid material that goes there.”

But the most important thing Christians can do is pray that the attacks will stop and that the hearts of attackers will be changed by the world-renewing power of the Holy Spirit. Pray also that the Nigerian government will rise up and protect all its people, including Christians in the North.

The Kaduna River, in the Kaduna State of Nigeria. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

The Islamist militant group called Boko Haram has made a mission out of reshaping the country into a Muslim nation under Sharia law. Most of the shaping comes in the form of violence against those regarded as enemies: law enforcement, government, religious minorities, i.e. Christians.

Last year, insurgents targeted churches on a weekly basis in Niger State, Borno State, Plateau State, and Yobe State. One report from Shoebat.com quoted a priest from Maiduguri (Borno State) who estimated that Boko Haram has destroyed 50 out of 52 churches in that area alone.

According to Human Rights Watch (a global human rights monitoring group), militants have claimed 3,000 lives since the campaign began in 2009. To put that into perspective, in the first 10 months of 2012, more than 900 people died in suspected attacks by the group. Little seems to have a deterrent effect on the Boko Haram.

In the first quarter of 2013, terrorism and death have been the hallmark of Boko Haram with over a dozen attacks and hundreds of deaths. Christian Aid Mission Africa Director Brittany Tedesco says the situation has hit too close to home for a ministry they support in Nigeria. "They actually attacked a prison in an area right near one of the mission fields where Christian Aid supports missionaries."

Gabriel Barau, ministry leader of Missionary Crusaders Ministries in Nigeria, noted in a recent report, "30 gunmen walked into the town, destroyed the police station…and killed 64 persons instantly. That is the tension we have in the northeast every day. We sincerely need your prayers to raise the funds needed to move our headquarters office to a safe location."

Another concern, Tedesco added: "They (Boko Haram) released over 100 prisoners. The citizens are just constantly living in fear of what might happen next."

For more than 20 years, Barau has rented an office headquarters in Adamawa State, the site of this most recent deadly attack. Tedesco says the endless barrage of attacks has complicated things, forcing the MCM ministry team to work out of the leaders' home. "It's just too dangerous to be able to utilize that office. That place was also the place where they had a discipleship and mission's training school. That's kind of been put ‘on hold' for now."

For 28 years, Barau has worked to share the gospel with unreached tribes in Nigeria, training native missionaries and sending them out to live among the people they are reaching. "Every day we live with the threat of death for ourselves, our children, and the staff who live here with us," Barau reports.

That statement, says Tedesco, means that all 183 workers are still moving forward, planting churches and discipling converts. Many of their mission fields are located in the country's Muslim northern region, where the majority of Boko Haram attacks have occurred. "They have identified another unreached people group that they are committed to reaching. So far, they are reaching about 17 unreached people groups."

Christian Aid Mission assists the work of these missionaries through monthly sponsorships. They have also provided funds for MCM to construct a new headquarters in a safer, more centralized location. Tedesco remarks that they are looking for people to come alongside in two ways: "The two big prayer needs that I see for this ministry are protection and funds."

Click here for more on how you can help Christian Aid Mission in Nigeria.

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.