Healing from the wounds of persecution

Mary’s abduction by Fulani extremists threatened to ruin her life and destroy her faith. But your gifts and prayers rescued this young Nigerian woman and her family.

Warning: Mary’s story contains content that some may find distressing.

For 54 days, Mary* was held captive by extremist Fulani militants. She was sexually abused, repeatedly. Mocked for her faith. Forced to cook for her captors while she had only animal food to eat.

The ordeal, deep in the forests of northwest Nigeria, had one purpose: to destroy this 20-year-old woman’s faith in Jesus and destabilize her Christian community. It’s a tactic employed by Islamic extremists across Sub-Saharan Africa, who are becoming increasingly violent, brutal and murderous in their persecution of believers.

“We were in the Sunday service when we heard a gunshot,” recalls Mary. “Everybody started running, running, running. Some were falling down. They attack Christians because we worship Jesus and they want us out of this land.”

In the chaos and killing, Mary heard her sister calling – and went back. It was a mistake. Mary and three other women were captured by the militants. “They said if we didn’t go with them, they’d kill us,” she said.

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What happened over the coming weeks changed Mary forever. But amid the fear, pain and humiliation, Mary held onto her faith. She even had the courage to share the gospel with her captors. “If you give your life to Jesus, he will forgive you and you can stop all these things you are doing,” Mary told them.

Somehow, Mary’s family raised the money to pay the ransom for her release. They borrowed more than they could ever repay – which, in Nigeria’s honor culture, brought shame they could not shake off.

But despite her freedom, Mary still suffered. “The pain wasn’t over. Every night, I dreamed of what happened to me. I couldn’t be around people. I laughed, but not in my heart. I didn’t have peace.”

That’s when your support, through Open Doors, made a difference. Mary was invited to our trauma care center, where she received trauma counseling and rediscovered her identity in Christ. Open Doors partners are also helping to buy essentials for the family and fund Mary’s education, since there was no money for school after paying the ransom.

Your gifts and prayers strengthened Mary and fought back against violent persecution. But sadly, this faithful young woman recently died from complications relating to surgery. Both Mary and her family wanted her story to be heard, as many of these stories remain hidden. Our vision is that no one faces persecution and trauma alone.

In her final interview with Open Doors, Mary said, “I thank God for the peace he brings to my life. And I thank him for using people like you to help me.”

*Name changed for security reasons.
*Top image: representative photo