Nigeria

A Christian widow has been unable to support herself and her children as Islamists regularly destroy her crops. Islamist groups regularly attack villages in central and northern parts of the country, and attacks against Christian communities are especially violent, leaving behind many widows. Victoria Luka, a mother of five, lost her husband to an attack on Sept. 17, 2018, near Jos. Their village was destroyed and their house burnt to ash.

Nandi Tangkat, a 26-year-old mother of four, was widowed after her husband was killed by Islamic militants on May 16, 2023, near Jos, Nigeria. Nandi, pregnant at the time, was away when the militants attacked, but her husband, slowed by an injury that he had previously sustained to his legs, was unable to escape. Nandi’s pastor and many other Christians were also killed in the attack. She has been trying to work at tin mining sites, but work is rarely available and pays very little, so she is learning to sew.

When Adamu Musa Ubandoma’s community realized that he had become a Christian, they attempted to burn him alive. He escaped, but burn marks are still visible on his head. His two daughters were then taken and given in marriage to Muslim men, and his wife was also kidnapped. All his belongings were burned and his cows confiscated. But Adamu says that nothing will separate him from the love of Christ. Before he placed his faith in Christ, he was a drug addict and a member of the Islamic militant group Boko Haram.

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.

A 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.

Nigerian 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.

Gift 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.

Church 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.

In 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.

Front-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.