There are many unfolding tragedies around the world—wars in Israel and Ukraine, brutal conflicts in Sudan and India, and terrorism against conservatives here in the States. The sheer weight of so much human suffering can make us numb, even calloused.
But while the world’s attention shifts from crisis to crisis, something of staggering proportions is happening with little notice: a genocide against Christians in Nigeria, carried out by Islamic militants.
In 2014, the world’s eyes briefly turned to Nigeria when 276 Christian schoolgirls were abducted from Chibok. The global #BringBackOurGirls campaign filled news cycles and social media feeds. Yet today, while an even greater tragedy unfolds—thousands of Christians being killed, displaced, and terrorized—the same mainstream voices are largely silent.
The violence is escalating. In just the first 220 days of 2025, an estimated 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria—an average of thirty-five deaths every single day, according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law.1
These attacks are carried out by radical groups and Fulani militants, often aligned with Islamist extremist ideologies.2 Since 2009, Boko Haram and ISWAP (the Islamic State—West Africa Province) have waged jihad campaigns. In that time, more than 50,000 Christians have been killed, and thousands of churches burned.3
The term “Christian” in Nigeria is broad and covers Catholics, Protestants, non-denominational, and Baptists. But it surely includes thousands of born again Christians. They are not statistics. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ
These people are experiencing both terror and tragedy. Fear grips entire regions, and families and churches are left shattered by brutal loss.
There are marches and protests every day in America for many victims of war, but I don’t know of any marches or protests for these perishing Christians in Nigeria.
Although much of the world and certainly the mainstream media has largely ignored the plight of these in Nigeria, and although most Christians in the States are unaware of it, I want to ask you to consider their needs in the spirit of Hebrews 13:3: “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them.”
What can we do?
Pray. Our primary response should be to pray for these believers. Pray for comfort for the grieving, courage for pastors, and steadfast faith for believers worshiping under threat. Pray for God to restrain evil and to turn even persecutors to the gospel they seek to crush.
Speak. Beware of being drawn into the selective outrage of a world that picks its causes for convenience. Don’t just speak up on that which is popular. Be as ready to share their needs as you are any other global crisis—in prayer meetings, on social media, and in discussion with friends.
Renew. The great need in Nigeria right now should cause us to renew our call to missions. Nigeria is not only a land of persecution; it is also a land of spiritual harvest. Missionaries and national pastors labor there at great risk. More laborers are needed, and we should pray to “the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38).
Perhaps God is nudging your heart to serve in Nigeria. The courage of the pastors, Christians, and missionaries who are there must be matched by our prayers, giving, and sending.
Stand. If Nigerian believers can sing hymns while militants circle their villages, how can we be silent in our safe neighborhoods? If they can follow Christ at the cost of their lives, how can we shrink back at the cost of our convenience?
Jesus promised, “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Though the world may offer selective outrage and costly silence, Christ is building His church—even through persecution. And He calls us to remember the persecuted, to pray for them, and to fully commit ourselves to the spread of the gospel in Nigeria and to the ends of the earth.
- “7,000 Christians Killed in Nigeria in 2025, Report Says,” Newsweek, August 13, 2025, https://www.newsweek.com/christians-killed-nigeria-religion-2116416.
- “Fulani Extremists Kill 15 Christians in Nigeria,” International Christian Concern, August 25, 2025, https://persecution.org/2025/08/25/fulani-extremists-kill-15-christians-in-latest-attack-in-nigeria/.
- “Ted Cruz Calls for Action on Christian Persecution in Nigeria,” Newsweek, September 10, 2025, https://www.newsweek.com/ted-cruz-nigeria-christians-persecution-act-2127576.
