Faith
Seven Christian Orphans Still Held After Nigeria Refuses Handover
Faith Facts
- Seven children seized from a Christian orphanage network in northern Nigeria over six years ago remain in government custody despite promises to return them.
- A meeting convened to finalize the children’s return ended without a handover, leaving the orphans separated from their Christian caregivers.
- The children were originally taken from Du Merci Centres orphanage network in Kano State in 2019, raising concerns about religious freedom and children’s welfare.
More than six years after Nigerian authorities seized seven children from a Christian orphanage, those young lives remain trapped in government custody. A meeting intended to finalize their return home collapsed without achieving its purpose, leaving faithful Christians who care for orphans still waiting for justice.
The children were taken from the Du Merci Centres orphanage network in Kano State, northern Nigeria, back in 2019. Since that day, they have been separated from the Christian caregivers who provided them with love, stability, and faith-based nurturing.
The failed handover represents yet another disappointment for those who have fought tirelessly for these children’s return. Kano State authorities convened the meeting with the apparent intention of finally releasing the children, but the gathering ended without the promised reunion.
For Christian communities in Nigeria, this case highlights the ongoing struggles believers face in maintaining their ministries and protecting vulnerable children under their care. Northern Nigeria has seen increasing pressure on Christian institutions, with orphanages and schools facing particular scrutiny from local authorities.
The prolonged separation raises serious questions about the welfare of these seven children and what they have experienced during more than six years away from the Christian home that cared for them. Advocates for the children worry about their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being during this extended period in government facilities.
Du Merci Centres had operated as a network of Christian orphanages providing care for children who had nowhere else to turn. The organization’s mission centered on giving orphaned and vulnerable children a stable, loving environment grounded in Christian values and Biblical teaching.
The 2019 seizure of the children shocked the Christian community and raised alarms about religious freedom in the region. Many saw the action as part of a broader pattern of targeting Christian charitable works in areas where Christianity represents a minority faith.
Nigerian Christians have long faced challenges in the predominantly Muslim northern states, where Sharia law operates alongside federal law. Christian institutions often find themselves navigating complex and sometimes hostile regulatory environments that can threaten their ability to serve their communities.
The failed handover meeting suggests ongoing complications or resistance from Kano State authorities regarding the children’s return. Without transparency about why the handover did not proceed, concerned believers can only speculate about what obstacles remain.
For the children themselves, now six years older than when they were taken, the delay means continued uncertainty about their futures. The formative years they have spent separated from the Christian community that sought to raise them cannot be recovered.
This case serves as a sobering reminder of the vulnerability Christian ministries face in regions where their faith is not the majority religion. It underscores the importance of vigilance in protecting religious freedom and the right of believers to serve the least among us according to their conscience and calling.
American Christians should take note of the persecution and obstruction their brothers and sisters face around the world. While we enjoy significant religious protections in the United States, believers in nations like Nigeria fight daily battles simply to maintain their witness and continue their charitable works.
The situation also highlights the unique challenges facing Christian orphan care in hostile environments. When governments can simply seize children from Christian homes and hold them indefinitely, the very foundation of faith-based child welfare comes under threat.
As this case drags into its seventh year, prayers continue for the seven children caught in this bureaucratic and potentially religious conflict. Their futures hang in the balance while authorities maintain custody without clear justification or timeline for resolution.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Mount Holyoke Female Seminary opened its doors in 1837 as America’s first four-year college for women, grounding its mission in biblical principles and Christian service.
- Missionary Amy Carmichael reached India in 1895, where she devoted her life to rescuing children from temple slavery and establishing the Dohnavur Fellowship.
- French Catholic missionary Anne-Marie Javouhey was born in 1779 and later founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, sending sisters across continents to serve the poor and enslaved.
This week marks three milestones that remind believers of the enduring power of Christian women who answered God’s call to education, missions, and service.
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary was established by Mary Lyon in South Hadley, Massachusetts, with the conviction that women deserved rigorous academic training rooted in Scripture.
Its curriculum required every student to perform domestic work, fostering both intellectual growth and humble service in keeping with Proverbs 31 values.
Over the decades the school trained thousands of women who became teachers, missionaries, and mothers who shaped families and communities across the young nation.
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”
That same week in 1895, twenty-eight-year-old Amy Carmichael stepped onto Indian soil, beginning a forty-five-year ministry that would rescue more than a thousand children from forced temple prostitution.
She refused to soften the gospel or compromise with local customs, insisting that only the light of Christ could set the captives free.
Her Dohnavur Fellowship still operates today, a living testimony that one life fully surrendered to the Savior can change generations.
“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
Meanwhile, the birth of Anne-Marie Javouhey in 1779 set in motion a French Catholic movement that would send sisters around the world to educate and liberate the enslaved.
Her order established schools, hospitals, and orphanages from Africa to the Americas, embodying the Great Commission in both word and deed.
These three stories converge this week to show how Christian women, empowered by Scripture and sustained by prayer, have shaped education, rescued the oppressed, and carried the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Actor P.J. Byrne credits Sylvester Stallone’s success to unwavering faith and the belief of others.
- Stallone’s journey from near-poverty to Hollywood fame reflects the biblical principle of perseverance through trials.
- Byrne highlights how faith can open doors when human effort alone seems insufficient.
Actor P.J. Byrne says the story of Sylvester Stallone’s climb from a struggling, nearly penniless actor to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars proves the power of faith.
Byrne points to the Rocky creator’s determination and the encouragement of those who believed in him when few others did.
“Amazing things can happen when you have faith,” Byrne stated.
The actor’s remarks underscore how Stallone’s refusal to quit mirrors the biblical call to endure hardship with trust in God’s plan.
Byrne’s comments arrive as a new documentary revisits the early struggles and eventual breakthrough that turned Stallone into a household name.
“I Play Rocky” revisits Stallone’s extraordinary rise: ‘Amazing things can happen when you have faith’
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Christians in Nigeria endure systematic persecution as a daily reality rather than an annual observance.
- Many believers worldwide observe a Day of Prayer for the persecuted church, yet the crisis continues without sustained attention.
- The Christian community in Nigeria continues to face violence and oppression that threatens families and churches across the nation.
For Christians in Nigeria, persecution is not an annual observance. It is a daily reality. So when the Day of Prayer passes, why do so many of us move on?
The faithful in Nigeria wake each morning knowing that their commitment to Christ could bring danger to their doorsteps. Villages have been attacked, families torn apart, and churches burned to the ground. Yet the world often treats these tragedies as a single day on the calendar rather than an ongoing crisis that requires persistent action.
Scripture calls believers to remember those in chains as if chained with them. This command does not expire after one Sunday service or one special offering. It demands ongoing vigilance, consistent prayer, and practical support for our brothers and sisters who suffer for the name of Jesus.
“For Christians in Nigeria, persecution is not an annual observance. It is a daily reality. So when the Day of Prayer passes, why do so many of us move on?”
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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