Christian persecution in Nigeria has deep historical roots, dating back to the rise of Islamic jihads in the 19th century, most notably the Sokoto Caliphate (founded in 1804), which spread Islam through conquest across northern Nigeria. With British colonization, Christian missionary activity increased in the south and central regions, while Islam retained dominance in the north.
Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, religious tensions between the predominantly Muslim north and Christian south have remained volatile, escalating significantly in the last two decades.
Primary Perpetrators
The main groups perpetrating atrocities against Christians include:
- Boko Haram (since 2009): An Islamist terror group whose name means “Western education is forbidden.” It seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria and is infamous for bombings, massacres, and mass abductions.
- Fulani Militants (escalated since ~2014): Nomadic herdsmen from the predominantly Muslim Fulani ethnic group who have increasingly conducted coordinated attacks on Christian farming communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt (Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, etc.). Unlike Boko Haram, their actions are often mischaracterized by the media as “herder-farmer clashes,” despite their genocidal pattern.
- Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP): A splinter of Boko Haram with similar goals but more disciplined military operations. Also actively persecutes Christians.
Major Incidents of Violence
Here are just a few of the countless atrocities:
- Chibok Girls Kidnapping (2014): Boko Haram abducted 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls. Many were forced into marriage, converted to Islam, or used as slaves and suicide bombers.
- Dapchi Girls Kidnapping (2018): 110 schoolgirls were abducted by ISWAP. Only the Christian girl, Leah Sharibu, was held back for refusing to renounce Christ.
- Agatu Massacre (2016): Fulani militants killed over 300 in Benue State, razing villages and churches.
- Southern Kaduna Massacres (2020–2023): Repeated attacks on Christian communities left hundreds dead. Villages are burned, churches destroyed, and survivors displaced.
- Miango and Jos Plateau Attacks: Entire Christian villages have been wiped out in a night—men killed, women raped, children slaughtered.
These incidents represent a systematic effort to remove Christians from ancestral lands, with attackers using automatic rifles, machetes, arson, and ambush tactics.
Modus Operandi of Perpetrators
Typical patterns include:
- Nighttime raids: Attackers strike between 1–3 a.m., when villagers are most vulnerable.
- Massacres and burnings: Homes, churches, and crops are burned. Entire families are often locked inside buildings and set on fire.
- Sexual enslavement: Christian girls are kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married off to Muslim men or sold into slavery.
- Use of sophisticated weaponry: Fulani and Boko Haram attackers are often better armed than local defense forces.
- Inconsistent arrests or prosecutions: Virtually no attacker is brought to justice.
Is the Nigerian Government Complicit?
Yes, there is credible evidence of complicity, indifference, or even active support:
- Security forces often absent or slow to respond during attacks.
- Arrested Christians, not attackers, in some self-defense cases (e.g., Benue and Plateau states).
- Lopsided military appointments favoring Muslims from the north.
- President Muhammadu Buhari (2015–2023), a Fulani Muslim, was criticized for ignoring or downplaying Fulani atrocities while cracking down harshly on southern movements.
Multiple watchdog groups, including Open Doors, International Christian Concern (ICC), and Genocide Watch, have condemned the Nigerian government’s inaction as enabling genocide.
Why Does the U.S. Media Ignore These Murders?
The U.S. media, particularly left-leaning outlets, tend to downplay or ignore Nigerian Christian persecution for several reasons:
- Narrative conflict: It contradicts the progressive narrative that Christians are oppressors, not victims.
- Race-based identity politics: Since both victims and attackers are African, the racial narrative is harder to weaponize politically.
- Fear of Islamophobia accusations: Outlets avoid criticizing Muslim attackers.
- Political expediency: Highlighting this persecution might lend weight to conservative Christian causes or expose failures in international diplomacy.
In contrast, issues like police brutality or gender ideology in the U.S. receive outsized coverage.
Asylum Status and Immigration Barriers
If the U.S. were to consider offering asylum to Nigerian Christians, several barriers exist:
- Religious misidentification: Many resettlement programs do not prioritize religious persecution, particularly of Christians.
- Quota manipulation: Islamic governments or corrupt officials may flood U.S. resettlement lists with Muslims rather than Christians. This happened during the Obama administration with Syrian refugees, where over 99% admitted were Muslim despite the Christian minority facing genocide.
- NGO bias: Progressive NGOs often handle refugee intake and may filter candidates through ideological rather than humanitarian lenses.
- Security concerns: Real or exaggerated fears that admitting persecuted Christians might stoke religious tension or terrorism allegations.
Christian Girls Kidnapped as Wives
Absolutely. This is a horrific and common practice:
- Girls as young as 12 are abducted by Fulani and Boko Haram, forcibly converted to Islam, and “married” to jihadist fighters.
- Some are used as sex slaves, domestic laborers, or traded among militants.
- The Nigerian government rarely intervenes, and when girls escape, they often face stigmatization, making reintegration difficult.
Leah Sharibu remains a well-known symbol of Christian defiance in captivity.
How Can American Christians Help Without Empowering the Enemy?
Here are trustworthy strategies:
- Support vetted ministries: Organizations like Equipping the Persecuted, led by Judd Saul, provide needed assistance to Nigerians.
- Avoid UN channels: U.N. funds often go to global agencies influenced by progressive ideologies and do not prioritize persecuted Christians. In fact, much of their aid actually goes to empower the persecutors.
- Partner with local pastors: Many U.S. churches have created direct relationships with Nigerian congregations. Seek these partnerships.
- Sponsor safehouses and trauma centers: Some ministries run shelters for rescued girls, orphans, and displaced families.
- Advocate policy change:
- Pressure U.S. lawmakers to reinstate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.
- Demand refugee priority for persecuted Christians.
What Should Christians Know?
- This is a genocide. Over 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009. Whole villages are disappearing.
- Christians are not just collateral damage—they are the target.
- Western silence is complicity. Media and political elites ignore this because it undermines their narratives.
- The Nigerian church remains faithful, often enduring with joy and courage that shames the Western Church.
- Your voice matters. Pray. Inform others, raise awareness, and support groups that refuse to bow to political correctness.
Conclusion
The plight of Nigerian Christians represents one of the most horrific and underreported genocides of our time. It exposes the hypocrisy of global elites, the failure of international institutions, and the need for the Church to act as a light in darkness. Nigerian Christians do not merely need sympathy; they need action, truth, and solidarity rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
S.D.G.,
Robert Sparkman
rob@basedchristianity.org
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