During Christmas celebrations, 25 Christians were killed in Nigeria by various militant groups, according to two statements from the nonprofit International Christian Concern.
The latest attack occurred this past weekend in Kwande County, Benue State, International Christian Concern reported. Armed Islamic militants killed 11 Christians in the area through multiple assaults.
The largest attack occurred during church services in a local Catholic community called Turan. Unidentified Islamic militants led a series of “surprise attacks” that caused numerous injuries and force many people to evacuate their homes, the nonprofit said.
“Despite recent peace-building initiatives by local leaders. . .the community’s challenges persist,” International Christian Concern said. “The once-thriving community of Turan now faces an uncertain future, with four out of five community areas largely deserted.”
A week before this, another attack occurred on December 22, in a city roughly 22 miles outside Jos, Plateau State.
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This attack occurred shortly after a Christmas carol service at an evangelical church in the area.
Armed men killed 14 people, including a pregnant woman and a 1-year-old girl, the nonprofit reported. It resulted in the loss of entire families, prompting a mass burial to be held for the victims.
Local leader Wuna Gado told the nonprofit that he had alerted military personnel at a nearby checkpoint about the attack but he “felt his warnings were dismissed.”
This attack primarily targeted the Irig Irigwe tribe in north-central Nigeria. It’s the latest in a string of attacks against the group. The tribe struggles with constant “conflict and vulnerability” because of frequent violence from Islamic Fulani extremists that live in the area, according to International Christian Concern.
The Irigwe has dealt with “ongoing adversity,” including displacement and assaults, from the Fulani extremists. More than 2,000 Christians in the tribe have been killed since 2016, according to International Christian Concern.
“This recent incident adds to a troubling history of attacks that often coincide with significant Christian celebrations,” International Christian Concern said.
Approximately 1,000 Christians currently live in the area surrounding the church.
Christmas in Nigeria is a time of fear for Christians
Christmastime in Nigeria has repeatedly been dangerous for Christians, International Christian Concern said.
In 2023, holiday attacks claimed the lives of at least 160 Christians in lives in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, according to The Baptist Press. In 2022, dozens were killed in Kaduna.
Around the holidays, churches often have police or security personnel present, Samuel, a Nigerian Christian, told Perscution.org — the organization changed Samuel’s name for safety reasons.
Though Christmas threats are reported to authorities, locals feel like they can’t trust authorities to protect them, Samuel noted.
While Christians comprise almost half the total population in Nigeria, they are frequently a hunted minority, Percution.org reported.
Samuel, who now attends a college in the United Kingdom, grew up in Northern Nigeria and said that holidays are a time of fear for Christians.
“Growing up in the North, I have seen how fear has become part of life for many Christians,” Samuel said. “It has always been there — this constant worry about when and where the next attack will happen. Sadly, it is not a matter of if but when.”
Samuel said that much of the violence in Nigeria stems from hatred from extremist Islamic groups.
“There is a deep-seated hatred toward Christians in the North. . .It’s a deeply ingrained mindset,” he said. “On top of that, many Christians in the North believe that some politicians sponsor these attacks for religious or political reasons.”
He added, “No one should have to go through what Christians in northern Nigeria face.”
Nigeria is the “the deadliest place to follow Jesus”
For decades, Nigeria has struggled with repeated Christian persecution, according to International Christian Concern.
Between 2009 and 2023, more than 50,000 Christians were killed in the country, the Vatican News reported. Millions have also been displaced from their homes.
Open Doors has dubbed Nigeria the “the deadliest place to follow Jesus.”
As TRR reported previously, “More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year, than everywhere else in the world combined,” Open Doors stated. “The attacks are often brutal in nature and can involve destruction of properties, abductions for ransom, sexual violence and death. Believers are stripped of their livelihoods and driven from their homes, leaving a trail of grief and trauma.”
Open Doors said that believers in Nigeria face violence from Islamic extremist groups such as Fulani militants, Boko Haram, and ISWAP (Islamic State in West African Province).
The violence has only increased under Nigeria’s current president, Muhammadu Buhari, the nonprofit said in a statement.
While the attacks occur primarily in the northern region of the country, they are spreading south. An unnamed Nigerian analyst told Open Doors that it is a “constant battle” for Christians in Nigeria.
“Many minority Christian groups have been denied access to basic social amenities in an attempt to force them to accept Islam,” the analyst said.
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
