Nigeria (MNN) — You’ve heard the stories from Nigeria… Another Christian village attacked, another family murdered by Islamic militants. Indeed, this Christmas Eve marks one year since “Black Christmas.” Between December 24, 2023 and the end of the year, at least 238 Christians lost their lives in a series of attacks in Nigeria’s Plateau State.
That incident was only part of a bigger trend.
“Fifty thousand or more people have been killed between 2009 and 2023 — [by] groups like Boko Haram, Fulani herdsman,” says Greg Musselman with Voice of the Martyrs Canada. Read about attacks against Nigerian Christians that happened just a few weeks ago here.
Sound overwhelming to pray or even think about? Try focusing instead on the ordinary families like yours and mine behind the numbers.
“They’re trying to worship Jesus, [share] the gospel message with those around them. But this ongoing persecution and the killing, it’s devastating,” Musselman says.
He had the honor of meeting a pastor named Gideon Dawel whose story began last year at Black Christmas.
“Pastor Gideon — who was the overseer for the Christ Apostolic Church and also a local pastor — lost his pregnant wife and five daughters who were burned to death when Fulani Muslims came into the community,” Musselman says.
Other believers have helped Gideon walk through his grief. He is pressing forward with God’s grace.
(Listen to Pastor Gideon share his story in this VOM video.)
You may be asking the same question as Musselman. Why is more not being done to protect Christians in Nigeria? Why are government soldiers not helping guard these Christian villages in the north? They’re “sitting ducks” according to Musselman.
“We don’t know why,” he says. “It’s either there’s apathy — they don’t care — [or] in some cases, those that are supposed to be protecting these communities are actually complicit [with] those that are attacking these vulnerable Christians in northern Nigeria.”
The stories of tragedy after tragedy coming from Nigeria these days may be hard to process, but don’t accept them as just the way things are there. Please listen, learn and pray for their protection. If you know Christ, these are your brother and sisters.
Musselman says to catch the “positive message” underlying the stories VOM shares: “Our ‘positive message’ is that Jesus died for our sins. He came to earth. That’s what Christmas is all about — and as a result of being in the family of God, we need to be praying for each other.”
Header photo is a video screenshot of Pastor Gideon Dawel, courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
