Latest attack in Nigeria leaves Christians dead

The shocking attack was caught on video—and is a reminder of what the risks faced by millions of African followers of Christ.

In late October, Boko Haram—the Islamic militant group that has targeted believers for years in West Africa, particularly in northern Nigeria—released a video.

And as you might expect from a group as brutally violent as Boko Haram, the video is horrific.

We won’t link to the video, as it’s extremely graphic and there is no need to give such atrocities more exposure. But it shows four people being beheaded—including two Christians. The victims were murdered in Borno State in northeast Nigeria, a region that has experienced regular attacks from Boko Haram since 2009.

“Three Christians were among the captured victims,” shares an Open Doors partner on the ground. “Two were executed … the Christian man was executed with a machete amidst a cloud of spectators cheering and shouting Allahu Akbar'’(meaning ‘God is most great’).
“[One of the] female believers was forced to convert to Islam and is currently set to be married off according to her father who received a call from the terrorist group.”

Horrifically, one of the women killed in the video was related to her murderer. “One female Christian in her twenties was also executed by her uncle, who is a Boko Haram member,” the Open Doors source says. “Her uncle said in the video, ‘We do not share the same faith with her,’ before participating in her execution. She was from a mixed family of Muslims and Christians.”

In the video, her uncle makes it clear why he is murdering his own family member: “This one, as you see brethren, [pointing to the woman in front of him] this is my younger sister [Editor’s note: The term “sister” in this case can also be translated as niece, so it’s likely the man was the girl’s uncle],” he said in the video. “She’s part of the infidels we will annihilate today … She’s my sister, and today we’ll carry out what Allah has written out for her. Even if it’s my mother who goes against our religion, by the special grace of Allah we will annihilate her. In fact, even if it’s the child from my own loins who goes against this religion, I will execute justice on such an individual.”

The video also shows two members of the group, speaking in the Hausa language, justifying the killings by claiming the victims were part of a group supporting those responsible for attacking and killing their members the previous week.

“They’ve killed our elders, they’ve killed our children, there’s nothing evil they’ve not done to us,” one of the militants says. “But today, see how Allah has helped us, we put our lives and resources on the line to ensure that we practice our religion. We’ve gone to confront them. We have killed some and we have captured theirs, including women and elders. This other person (pointing to a man tied on the floor) is a member of the Red Cross. Even now, we will not sleep in our homes, it has become mandatory for us to execute this jihad.”

In the video, the group vows to intensify their attacks under the leadership of a new figure, “Sheikh Abu Sumaiyya,” and to “rekindle the hostilities” they were known for during the early days of the insurgency.

Urged to return home

It is believed that these captives were among 15 taken during an attack on Gwoza on October 1. Five people were killed in the attack. The terrorists ambushed them while they were working their farms, according to Vanguard.

Shockingly, even in the midst of this level of instability, many officials are pushing people—including Christians—to return to their homes in Borno State. “In and amongst these attacks by Boko Haram, the Borno state government has pushed for internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return home,” explains John Samuel*, Open Doors’ legal expert for sub-Saharan Africa. “The authorities have offered incentives to returnees, such as food parcels or one-off payments. Displaced Christians are very reluctant to return because of ongoing insecurity and unexploded mines planted in their villages. Some Christians who did return were attacked by militants and fled again.

“Boko Haram extremists have clearly said time and time again that they are waging a jihad against people they call ‘infidels’ – that is, anyone who does not sign up to their extreme interpretation of Islam,” Samuel continues. “Some of the people at the top of this list, then, are Christians who are clear targets because of their faith.”

As of December 2023, the International Office of Migration reported that more than 1.7 million IDPs are hosted in Borno State alone—Borno hosts 74% of IDPs in the northeast region of Nigeria. Nigeria is number six on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List, an index published annually where Christians face the most extreme persecution for their faith. The World Watch List research also found Nigeria to be the most violent place for Christians, with the highest number of believers who were killed for their faith last year.

This type of horrific violence is a reminder of the risks faced by millions of God’s people across sub-Saharan Africa. The displacement and murderous attacks are widespread across the content. Right now, Open Doors researchers estimate there are 16.2 million displaced Christians in the region, many of them chased from their homes because they follow Jesus.

Such a massive problem requires a huge response. That’s why the church in sub-Saharan Africa has partnered with Open Doors to launch the Arise Africa campaign, a multi-year effort to both stop the violence and to start the healing—so African Christians can continue to be resilient, living as salt and light even amidst the hardest circumstances. You can find more information about the campaign, along with a way to add your voice and prayers, by clicking here.

please pray

For now, we need to stand with the families in Nigeria who are mourning their dead. Here are some specific ways we can pray:

Pray for the families of those martyred in this attack to experience the Lord’s comfort as they come to grips with the brutal deaths of their loved ones.
Pray for God’s grace to the believers in this area as they consider their options. Life in the IDP camp can be extremely challenging, but returning home is also extremely dangerous. Pray for the Lord’s provision and encouragement.
Pray for the silence on these violent events to cease and that the government will be able to transparently and diligently work to protect all its citizens from this terror.

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Latest attack in Nigeria leaves Christians dead

Urged to return home

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