Nigeria’s Christians Are Suffering More Than the World Can Imagine
I called Nigeria from Tokyo yesterday evening and spoke with my friend, Evangelist Joseph. That short conversation left me deeply shaken. The situation of Christians in Nigeria is far more serious than most of us can imagine.
Many of us only know Nigeria through what we see on Facebook, read in the news, or watch on television. But Joseph lives there. He breathes that fear daily.
Joseph is one of those few who stand among the ruins of churches, who join funerals, comfort widows, and pray with orphans. He is not only a witness to persecution — he is one of its survivors.
For years, Islamist extremist groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militants have targeted Christian villages across Nigeria. Entire communities have been burned. Thousands have been killed, and millions displaced.
According to Open Doors, more than 50,000 Christians have been murdered since 2009 — one of the worst cases of religious persecution in the modern world.
Joseph often goes live on Facebook — sometimes from a burial ceremony, sometimes from his hideout. You can see him holding banners, standing beside coffins, or praying over the bodies of men, women, and children. His voice never trembles, even when the sound of gunfire echoes in the distance. “We are dying not only from bullets,” he told me, “but from hunger.”
Thousands have fled their homes to escape attacks, only to face starvation and disease in camps without food, water, or medicine. Humanitarian aid rarely reaches them. The Nigerian government’s promises of protection remain hollow, and the world stays silent.
Joseph’s plea is simple. He requested, “Please, pray for us.”
He asks Christians everywhere to create prayer groups for Nigeria and, if possible, to raise small funds through churches to help buy food for displaced families. “Even one prayer,” he said, “makes us feel we are not forgotten.”
His words pierced my heart.
I know what it feels like to be persecuted, to be left alone, and to wonder if the world still cares. I understand what Joseph is feeling. I went through such persecutions.
Nigeria Christians pic.twitter.com/fgldjGbkju
— Evangelist Ebube Joseph (@EbubeEvang51271) November 11, 2025
Indeed, it’s painful that so many presidents, prime ministers, and world leaders identify as Christians, yet so few speak when Christians are being slaughtered. Persecuted Christians often feel abandoned, not by faith, but by the silence of those who share it.
Faith must not end in silence. Every church, every believer, can become a small light in this darkness. Even from Tokyo, I can join Joseph in his prayer for hope, protection, and peace.
Christians in Nigeria are not asking for pity. They are asking to be remembered and prayed for as members of the same body of Christ.
“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” — 1 Corinthians 12:26
Let us not turn away.
