Faith
Nigerian Christians Face Deadly Attacks, Urgent Prayers Needed
Faith Facts
- Armed kidnappers abducted Father Bobbo Paschal and others, killing a church leader’s brother in Kaduna state.
- Christian leaders call for prayer and action as violence against believers escalates in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
- Thousands of Christians are kidnapped or killed for their faith in Nigeria each year, making it the deadliest country for Christian persecution.
Christian communities in Nigeria are enduring severe persecution and violence, with church leaders and families targeted by armed attackers.
Father Bobbo Paschal was abducted, and another faith leader’s brother killed, in a recent attack in Kaduna, reflecting a troubling rise in assaults on Christians.
Church authorities urge prayers for the swift and safe release of all abducted and for God’s comfort for those mourning loved ones lost to these tragedies.
Extremist violence, kidnappings for ransom, and targeted attacks against church leaders continue to devastate believers and threaten the future of Christian families.
“Christian leaders who spoke to [World Watch Research] described what they experienced as planned attempts to bankrupt Christian communities, particularly in the North and North-Central. They spoke of ‘intergenerational bankruptcy,’ where extended families found themselves forced to sell land and family assets to save abductees,” the dossier wrote.
Another leader stated, “We in Christian communities know that kidnapping actually achieves the aims of terror. It shuts down schools, whole schools and it is the end of Western education in the North. That is a Boko Haram aim. It bankrupts and impoverishes extended families, whole congregations, as Christians will come together to try to free a pastor. And it is resulting in the flight of Christian communities.”
America is called to raise up voices in defense of religious freedom, urging our leaders to stand with persecuted Christians worldwide and pursue justice rooted in biblical principles.
Join us in fervent prayer for the safety and faithfulness of Nigeria’s Christian families, and let us not waver in advocating for religious liberty everywhere.