Key Takeaways:
- Christian churches and schools are being destroyed, and Christians are being slaughtered by radical Islamic terrorist groups in northern and central Nigeria.
- Nigeria has a population of more than 230 million – the most populous country in Africa.
- About 46% of Nigerians are Christians; about 50% are Muslim.
- The Christian genocide is in the northern region which is predominantly Muslim.
- Violence against Christians also occurs in the Middle Belt; Christians in the southern region don’t face daily persecution.
- Several Islamist terrorist groups operate in Nigeria; Boko Haram – the largest group – is determined to establish an Islamic state in the northern region.
- Christians in the north also suffer persecution under Sharia and blasphemy laws, as well as threats of kidnapping.
- The violence against Christians in Nigeria is finally being publicized in the U.S. – but the slaughter needs to stop NOW.
- There are several action items we can take to make a difference.
For 30 years I’ve been talking about, writing about, and warning about the persecuted church worldwide.
Meanwhile, worldwide persecution of Christians is now at historically unprecedented levels.
According to Open Doors’ World Watch List 2025, 380 million Christians – 1 in 7 globally – suffer high, very high or extreme levels of persecution.[1]
And Nigeria is the most violent country on the planet for followers of Jesus.[2]
More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world.[3]
Thankfully, President Trump and several members of his administration are alerting the nation to what is happening – and intend to take action:
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- Ted Cruz (R-TX)
- Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
- Riley Moore (R-WV)
Here are 6 realities you need to know about the violence against Christians in Nigeria:
- Islamist terrorist groups have been massacring Christians and destroying churches in Nigeria since 2009.
In June this year, 200 men, women and children were slaughtered in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks.
An estimated 7,000 Nigerian Christians have been murdered so far in 2025.[4]
Between 2009 and 2023:
- 52,500 Nigerian Christians have been killed
- 18,000 churches have been destroyed by fire
- 2,200 Christian schools have been destroyed by fire
- 5 million Nigerian Christians have been displaced from their homes[5]
A variety or radical Islamic terrorist groups operate in Nigeria:
- Boko Haram – its name means “Western education is forbidden”
- The Fulani – a large West Africa Muslim ethnic group
- Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)
- ISIS
- The violence against Christians in Nigeria is regional, not nation-wide.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with a population of more than 230 million.
It’s a multinational country with over 250 different ethnic groups speaking 500 separate languages.[6]
About 46% of the population is Christian, 50% Muslim, and the remaining 4% adhere to tribal religions.
The official language of Nigeria is English.
The country is divided into 36 states and three geographic regions: the Northern Region, the Middle Belt Region, and the Southern Region.
Most of the violence against Christians takes place in the 12 northern states, which are primarily Muslim.
However, Fulani militants operate in the Middle Belt, which contains predominantly Christian areas – and were responsible for 55% of the Christian deaths between 2019 and 2023.[7]
Christians in the Southern Region – particularly in Lagos, the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa – do not face daily violence for their faith.
- Violent attacks are not the only threats facing Nigerian Christians.
Not only do Nigerian Christians face the daily threat of being murdered for their faith… they also face:
- Political and legal persecution
- Religious persecution
- Kidnapping
Although the Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, it also allows the twelve northern Muslim states to establish Sharia courts and blasphemy laws.
Christians in the northern states are “being denied professional and educational opportunities, access to land to build churches, and access to social activities…”[8]
Four northern states were required to close down for 5 weeks this year for Ramadan.
The closure affected private schools, regardless of religious affiliation.[9]
Violation of blasphemy laws can result in long prison sentences – or even death.
In 2022, a former Muslim was sentenced to 24 years in prison for social media posts about the Prophet Muhammad.[10]
Kidnapping is big business in northern Nigeria – it funds terrorist groups and Islamic expansion.
More than 20,000 people were abducted by Islamic “bandits” between 2019 and 2023.[11]
Bandits have learned that Christians – especially pastors and Christian leaders – bring in higher ransom prices.
- The genocide of Christians in northern Nigeria is finally gaining attention in the U.S.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) gave a speech on the Senate floor in early October in which he said that 62,000 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria since 2000.[12]
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced legislation last month calling on the State Department to reverse the 2021 decision of the Biden administration to remove Nigeria from a list of countries in which religious freedom is threatened.
“Nigerian Christians are being targeted and executed for their faith by Islamist terrorist groups,” he said, “and are being forced to submit to Sharia law and blasphemy laws across Nigeria.”[13]
The bill also would apply sanctions against Nigerian government officials who are allowing the massacre of Christians to continue.[14]
“Officials in Nigeria are ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists,” Cruz said.
“It’s time to hold those responsible accountable. My Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act would target these officials with powerful sanctions and other tools.”[15]
President Trump wrote on November 1st on his Truth Social account, “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action.”[16]
Bill Maher recently spoke on his TV show about Christians being “systematically killed” in Nigeria, and said, “Where are the kids protesting this?”[17]
Erik Prince, former Navy Seal officer and founder of Blackwater – an American private military contractor – is asking Pope Leo for funding from the Vatican to defend Nigerian Christians.[18]
- Christians are the primary target of violence in Nigeria, but moderate Muslims have come under attack also.
Boko Haram has declared their intention to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.
They have explicitly declared Christians as targets over and over again.
And the Fulani militants – according to victims’ testimonies – have not only shouted “Allahu Akbar” during attacks, but also, “We will destroy all Christians.”[19]
Since Boko Haram’s rise to prominence in 2009, 16.2 million West-Africa Christians have been forcibly displaced from their homes and moved into horrific living conditions in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.[20]
But their radical version of Islam not only has no tolerance for Christian “infidels,” they also have no tolerance for moderate Muslims.
As early as 2010, the terrorist group was targeting Muslim areas as well as Christians.[21]
Also, a bandit group recently kidnapped 8 worshippers from a northwestern mosque during morning prayers.[22]
- You can make a difference.
Don’t think your voice doesn’t matter.
Here are several actions you can take that will make a difference.
-
- Pray for the Nigerian government – especially that it will restore the rule of law in the northern states.
- Pray for the Christians in Nigeria and in all of sub-Saharan Africa that God will protect them and give them spiritual strength.
- Get my book Christian Voter: How to Vote For, Not Against, Your Values to Transform Culture and Politics. It has a chapter on the persecuted church. Click HERE to order the book online.
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What do you think? Email me at [email protected].
FAQs:
Q: Is the genocide of Christians in Nigeria nationwide?
A. No, it is regional. It is occurring in the northern Muslim states.
- How many Christians have been killed in Nigeria?
A. So far this year, 7,000 Christians have been killed – more than in any other country in sub-Sahara Africa. Since 2009, 52,500 have been killed in Nigeria. - What other persecution are Christians suffering in Nigeria?
A. Christians in the northern 12 states are suffering under Sharia law which denies them professional and educational opportunities; they are threatened by blasphemy laws; and they are targets for kidnappers who use ransom payments to support their terrorist activities. - Is the U.S. government doing anything to help the Christians in Nigeria?
A. Very little. There is no voice within the Trump administration advocating for the plight of the Nigerian Christians. Sen. Ted Cruz introduced legislation to have Nigeria added to a list of countries where religious liberty is threatened.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and publisher of The Huey Alert and Direct Marketing Update. He is also the author of The Great Deception: 10 Shocking Dangers and the Blueprint for Rescuing the American Dream, exposing the lies of socialism and defending America’s founding principles. Craig appears on national media such as FOX, FOX Business, Newsmax and more. He also co-hosts The Huey Alert Podcast with his wife Shelly and helps business leaders, Christians, conservatives, libertarians, young people and more understand the intersection of faith, politics, and freedom.
[1] https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/
[2] https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-violence-in-nigeria/
[3] https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/nigeria/
[4] Maggie Phillips, https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2025/10/16/violent_attacks_just_one_threat_facing_nigerian_christians_1141293.html?mc_cid=1dbc981827&mc_eid=18dbaaf564
[5] Lisa Zengarini, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/over-50000-christians-killed-in-nigeria-by-islamist-extremists.html
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria
[7] https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-violence-in-nigeria/
[8] MaggiePhillips, op. cit.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-violence-in-nigeria/
[12] Joe Saunders, https://www.westernjournal.com/developing-news-christian-massacres-nigeria-spreads-sen-tuberville-joins-trump-ready-blast-islamist-butchers-back-stone-age/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=top-news-alert&utm_campaign=news-alert&utm_content=2025-11-08
[13] Maggie Phillips, op. cit.
[14] Michael Austin, https://www.westernjournal.com/ted-cruz-unveils-effort-stop-anti-christian-persecution-african-country/?ff_source=email&ff_medium=top-news-alert&ff_campaign=news-alert&ff_content=2025-11-08
[15] Ibid.
[16] Joe Saunders, op. cit.
[17] Jordan King, https://www.newsweek.com/bill-maher-christians-nigeria-10797095
[18] Maggie Phillips, op. cit.
[19] https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-violence-in-nigeria/
[20] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu3Qqzdfac0
[21] Maggie Phillips, op. cit.
[22] Ibid.