Faith
Nigerian Christians Face Deadly Persecution
Faith Facts
- The Nigerian government has been criticized for denying the extent of violence targeting Christians.
- This year, thousands of Christians in Nigeria have lost their lives due to religious persecution by extremists.
- Christian leaders warn against downplaying these attacks as mere social or land disputes.
Christian believers in Nigeria are suffering heartbreaking violence while the government resists acknowledging the true faith-based nature of these attacks. Despite comprising about half the population, Christians in Nigeria are now among the world’s most persecuted communities.
An estimated 3,100 Nigerian Christians have been martyred for their faith this year, far more than anywhere else in the world. Some estimates suggest even higher numbers of Christian deaths.
Christian leaders, including Rev John Hayab of the Christian Association of Nigeria, urge the truth be spoken about persecution, cautioning that denial only enables the attackers.
“There is religious persecution in northern Nigeria and I can tell the Nigerian government that the reason why we are not addressing it is because we are living in denial.”
“If you are denying, it is as if you are supporting the man who is killing us.”
Faith-based voices like Open Doors remind us that persecution today is often explicitly anti-Christian, and ignoring this only harms innocent believers.
Now more than ever, let us pray faithfully for our brothers and sisters in Christ facing hardship, and urge our leaders to stand for religious freedom and justice in Nigeria.