Nigerian Christian Shows His Burned Home

Michael Ringer

19 Oct 2025 — 5 min read

Rebrenya explains how Islamists have slaughtered over 50 in a single day last December and how they have brutally murdered 7 of his brothers and destroyed his village.

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Nigerian Christians face systematic slaughter in what has become the deadliest place on Earth to follow Jesus Christ, with over 7,000 believers killed in 2025 alone—an average of 35 Christians murdered every day.

Congressman Riley Moore detailed in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that over 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone, with hundreds more kidnapped, tortured, or displaced by extremist groups such as Boko Haram. Reports indicate that 19,100 Christian churches have been attacked or destroyed since 2009 and that elements of the Nigerian government may be complicit in the violence.

The latest Intersociety report revealed that an average of 32 Christians are killed in Nigeria every day. The report published in August indicates that as many as 7,000 Christians were massacred across Nigeria in the first 220 days of 2025. At least 185,000 people, including 125,000 Christians and 60,000 moderate Muslims had been killed in Nigeria since 2009 when terrorist group Boko Haram began its murderous campaign intended to set up a caliphate across the Sahel.

At least 218 people have been killed and more than 6,000 displaced after a spate of devastating attacks on mostly Christian villages in Benue State. Islamic Fulani militants are suspected to be behind all six of the attacks, which targeted men, women and children. The attacks happened between June 8 and June 14, with the deadliest on June 13 when a displacement camp numbering 400 people in Yelewata was attacked.

More than 200 Christian civilians, including children and the elderly, were killed in coordinated attacks carried out by armed Fulani militants in Nigeria's Middle Belt, just before and after the country's Democracy Day holiday. Four victims, including a 9-month-old infant, were killed near Nkiedonwro village as they were returning from their farms with harvested vegetables.

Since January, International Christian Concern has documented a dramatic rise in attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria. In just over three months, more than 300 Christians have been killed, dozens abducted, and thousands displaced. One of the most devastating attacks occurred on Palm Sunday, April 13, in Zike village, Plateau state, where at least 56 people, including 15 children, were killed and 103 homes were burned.

The Church in Nigeria is mourning Father Mathew Eya, killed Sept. 19 as he was returning to his parish of St. Charles in Eha-Ndiagu, in Enugu state. In what looked like execution-style murder, the attackers, riding on a motorcycle, intercepted the priest's vehicle near the site of a hospital construction site, first shooting at the tires to stop the car and then killing Father Eya at close range.

Boko Haram insurgents stormed Wagga Mongoro village around 11:40 p.m., killing four Christians, injuring many others, and destroying homes, shops, and a local church building. The United Nations International Organization for Migration estimates that Boko Haram violence has displaced more than 200,000 people in Adamawa state.

Christians living in northern Nigerian states under Sharia (Islamic law) face discrimination and oppression as second-class citizens. Converts from Islam often experience rejection from their own families and pressure to renounce their new faith. They often have to flee their homes for fear of being killed.

Emeka Umeagbalasi, director of the Catholic-inspired NGO Intersociety, believes the kidnapping of clergy and lay Christians is part of a genocidal campaign by Jihadists intent on wiping out Christianity from Nigeria. "If the trend continues, Christianity could be wiped out from Nigeria by 2075," Umeagbalasi said.

Reports from Open Doors indicate that more Christians are killed every year in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined. Congressman Moore noted that President Trump previously designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a designation reversed under President Biden.

Thirty-five Christians murdered daily. Seven thousand killed in 2025. Nineteen thousand churches destroyed. This is Christian genocide, and the world stays silent.

Boko Haram and Fulani militants systematically exterminate Nigerian Christians. They burn families alive in displacement camps. They execute priests on roadsides. They slaughter infants returning from farms. They attack churches during Palm Sunday services, murdering 56 including 15 children.

More Christians die in Nigeria annually than the rest of the world combined. This isn't persecution. This is industrial-scale slaughter targeting believers for following Christ.

Islamic jihadists operate openly. They shout "Allahu Akbar" while burning Christians alive. They ambush Christian farmers. They raid villages under darkness. They destroy churches systematically. Nigerian security forces arrive hours after massacres end—if they arrive at all.

The Nigerian government enables this genocide through deliberate inaction. Villages remain unprotected. Perpetrators face no accountability. Christians live under Sharia law as second-class citizens in northern states. Converts from Islam flee or die.

One hundred twenty-five thousand Christians murdered since 2009. If this happened to any other group, the world would respond with military intervention. Because victims are Christians, Western media barely reports it. The UN issues statements. Nothing changes. Bodies pile higher.

Father Mathew Eya executed roadside. Four Christians including a nine-month-old baby macheted to death. Two hundred burned alive in a market where displaced Christians sheltered. Entire families incinerated. This is Nigeria's reality for believers.

President Biden reversed Trump's designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom. This removed diplomatic pressure enabling persecution to escalate unchecked. American policy abandoned Nigerian Christians to slaughter.

Intersociety warns Christianity faces extinction in Nigeria by 2075 if current trends continue. This isn't hyperbole. This is mathematical projection based on systematic elimination of Christian populations from northern territories.

Western Christians must act. Nigerian believers face extinction. Every Sunday they worship knowing jihadists might attack. Every farm trip risks ambush. Every priest faces kidnapping or execution. They refuse to abandon Christ despite death surrounding them.

The international community must recognize this genocide. America must redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. Western nations must pressure Nigerian government to protect Christians. Military aid should require demonstrated protection of Christian communities.

Nigerian Christians embody persecution Church history. They worship amid genocide. They refuse apostasy facing machetes. They rebuild burned churches. They bury children massacred for faith. Their witness shames comfortable Western Christianity

Take Action: Defend Nigerian Christians

International Christian Concern: https://www.persecution.org Report: Nigerian Christian persecution Contact: press@persecution.org

Open Doors USA: https://www.opendoorsus.org Support persecuted Nigerian Christians Sign the Arise Africa Petition

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF): https://www.uscirf.gov Demand Nigeria redesignation as Country of Particular Concern Contact: media@uscirf.gov

Contact Your Representatives: Demand action on Nigerian Christian genocide:

U.S. Congress: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
U.S. Senate: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm Call for Nigeria redesignation as CPC and suspension of military aid until Christian protection demonstrated

Support Legislation: Contact Senator Ted Cruz's office supporting legislation holding Nigerian officials accountable Senate Office: (202) 224-5922

Nigerian Embassy Contacts:

U.S.: Embassy of Nigeria, 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 | Phone: (202) 986-8400
U.K.: Nigeria High Commission, 9 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BX | Phone: +44 20 7839 1244

Demand: