Aliyu Abubakar, 23, is a new Christian who has already suffered and escaped from persecution. He is a member of the Fulani, a nomadic people group across west and central Africa. Some Fulani groups are militant Muslims who attack Christian communities, and when Aliyu accepted Christ, he was locked in a room for days with little food to separate him from the friend who had brought him to Christ. He escaped by being smuggled from his village.
Read MoreA Christian convert from Islam chose to stay in his community despite being opposed for his Christian witness. Abdulmasi studied the Quran in a renowned Muslim university in northern Nigeria but came to faith in Christ through dreams he had. Since giving his life to Christ, Abdulmasi has experienced opposition in his community. People in his village refuse to eat with him; he has been beaten and poisoned; and a majority of his harvest was taken by other villagers.
Read MoreNigerian church leaders request urgent prayer for Pastor Paul Musa. In March 2023, Pastor Paul and his wife, Ruth, were abducted from their home in northern Nigeria’s Borno State by militants belonging to Boko Haram, a radical Islamist group. The kidnappers posted video of Pastor Musa in late June 2024 and threatened to kill him if their demands were not met. Church leaders worry that the Islamists may have already killed Ruth.
Read MoreGift is only 19 years old but has already endured more anguish than most people in a lifetime. The young bride from Jos, Nigeria, saw her husband shot to death by militant Fulani Muslims. The attackers then shot her in the hand. Pregnant at the time, she collapsed and was taken to a hospital, where her baby was delivered by cesarean session. After this distressing experience, caring Christians provided for her emotional and spiritual needs through six months of encouragement and biblical counseling.
Read MoreChurch leaders request prayer for a woman abducted in early March of 2024 in Kaduna State, Nigeria, from an area with a majority-Christian population. “Fulani jihadis opened sporadic gunfire on the entire area,” said a front-line worker. “And while Mrs. Musa Baraka was running to safety, in the confusion, the militants picked her up and shot her 32-year-old son.” The son survived and underwent surgery for his wounds in early May.
Read MoreIn early March 2024, Islamic militants raided several boarding schools in northern Nigeria and abducted more than 300 people. “I spoke to a pastor who personally knows an elderly Christian woman who was among those abducted,” a front-line worker shared. “Her son was shot in the arm when trying to protect her and is currently hospitalized.” Officials do not know if the attackers were members of Boko Haram or ISWAP, two Islamist groups active in the area.
Read MoreFront-line workers recently held a camp for teenagers from several different areas across Nigeria where militant Fulani Muslims and Boko Haram militants have slaughtered thousands of Christians. Each teen in attendance during the camp had lost one or both parents in Islamist attacks. Some of the young people continue to live in areas where militant attacks are common.
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Paul Dangtoumda, a part of the global eldership counsel for Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and the leader for YWAM’s work in Nigeria, comes from a family with a history of Christian persecution. In fact, he bears the scar of persecution his parents faced even before he was born. Listen as he shares the amazing testimony of God’s protection over him and his parents—and how their example inspires his ministry even today. Hear how Paul began working in Nigeria and how today he and YWAM are helping widows—Women of Honor—to persevere in life and faith despite the loss of their husbands. “We had to teach the [women] how to go to the cross,” he says. “Because when they realize that it is God who can save them, then this is the beginning of true counseling.” Paul will also share about a Bible translation effort called Oral Mother Tongue, an effort that YWAM founder Loren Cunningham focused on in the final days of his earthly life. Listen as Paul describes the process from start to finish—and the reaction of people hearing the Bible in their own language for the first time. Paul will suggest ways listeners can pray for this translation effort. Also visit Pray OMT to learn more about the process of making the Bible available to every tribe, tongue, and nation. Never miss an episode of VOM Radio! Subscribe to the podcastOr you can listen each week—and get daily prayer reminders—in the VOM App for your smartphone or tablet.
Read MoreSade, who has been nearly blind most of her life, heard screams as attackers raided her village, so she ran with her three daughters in search of safety. Radical Muslim Fulani men had attacked her village before, so Sade knew their lives were in danger. She, her children and several others took shelter in her brother’s apartment. When militants found them and couldn’t break in, they set the building on fire. The apartment filled with smoke, but the group feared leaving.
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Weeks before his wife’s death, James had a casual discussion with her about whether either of them would remarry if the other died. James told her he wanted to die first so their two daughters would have a mother to care for them, and his wife, Mary, teased him by saying she would remarry. But then she grew more serious, telling him she had a sense that she would die first. James didn’t think much of the conversation until later, when Mary was killed in an attack on their Christian village in central Nigeria. James was in the city donating blood at a hospital on the day of the attack. When he called home around noon, Mary told him not to come home because they had heard gunshots in a nearby community and she wanted him to avoid traveling through an area of conflict. She was not yet aware that Fulani Islamic militants were attacking the entire region of Barkin Ladi, outside Jos. Beginning at 7 a.m. that Saturday, June 23, 2018, the heavily armed militants swept through the area, using plastic garden sprayers to spray gasoline on houses before setting them ablaze. Mary called James back a little later,
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