[Today’s Prayer] Amid the massacre of Nigerian Christians, “International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church” held

The U.S.-based Christian Daily International (CDI) reported on November 2, in observance of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), that global prayer and human rights advocacy for Nigerian Christians are intensifying again. At the same time, however, backlash is growing among the Nigerian government and some diplomatic lobbyists who claim that “the massacre of Christians is exaggerated.”

CDI stated that in Washington, legislative efforts continue to hold the Nigerian government accountable for religious persecution. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (Republican) introduced the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act,” urging the U.S. government to take official measures in response to Nigeria’s violations of religious freedom. In the House of Representatives, Indiana Congressman Marlin Stutzman introduced a companion bill in support.

In addition, Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and 34 human rights and policy experts sent a joint letter on the 15th (local time) to former U.S. President Donald Trump, stating, “The Nigerian government is condoning persecution against religious minorities, especially Christians,” and calling for Nigeria to be redesignated as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC).”

On October 31, President Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, “I am designating Nigeria once again as a CPC,” signaling this move ahead of the U.S. State Department’s official year-end designation. The letter stated, “The Nigerian government enforces Islamic blasphemy laws, placing citizens under threat of execution or severe punishment,” and pointed out that “Muslim Fulani herdsmen attack Christian rural communities and are being allowed to forcibly Islamize the central region.”

According to the Nigerian civic group “Inter Society for Civil Rights and Rule of Law,” over 52,000 Christians have been killed and more than 20,000 churches destroyed by Islamic extremists since 2009. The report noted that while Boko Haram, IS, and Al-Qaeda affiliates attack both Christians and Muslims, the Fulani militants pose the most severe threat.

Among the signatories of the petition were former U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf and Maureen Ferguson, a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The letter stated, “The Fulani armed groups shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they raid Christian villages with AK-47 rifles, massacre families, and burn crops and homes. This is not merely a local conflict but an organized campaign of land seizure and religious domination.”

CDI reported that unlike its fight against Islamic terrorist groups, the Nigerian government has remained largely unresponsive to Fulani attacks on Christians in the central regions. The petition criticized, “The government does not investigate their sources of weapons or organizational backers, does not enforce gun control laws, and does not help Christian farmers reclaim their plundered land. Even when the Fulani attack, they are not arrested, and judicial punishment is almost nonexistent.”

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Meanwhile, according to a recent report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), between October 2019 and September 2023, of the 30,880 civilians killed in Nigeria, 16,769 were Christians—2.7 times more than Muslim victims (6,235). The number of kidnapping victims was also higher among Christians (11,185) than Muslims (7,899). Christians killed by Fulani militants accounted for 55% of all deaths—far more than those killed by Boko Haram or IS.

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CDI noted that despite these realities, the U.S. and the international community remain passive in their response. Greg Maresca, a columnist for Canada Free Press, stated, “This crisis is not merely political or diplomatic—it is a moral imperative,” emphasizing, “As 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, if one member suffers, all members suffer with it.”

He warned, “Christians must not remain silent but act. Otherwise, within a generation, the Christian community in Africa could disappear.”

Source: Christian Daily

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5–7)

Heavenly Father, we hear the recent news that former U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken of deploying U.S. troops or conducting airstrikes in response to the killing of Christians in Nigeria.

As persecution against the church in Nigeria and the global church grows stronger, we recognize again that we are living in the last days when the words of Jesus—“You will be hated by all nations because of My name”—are being fulfilled.

In this situation, we thank You for granting grace through President Trump to call out the Nigerian government, which has tolerated the killing of Christians, and to provide means to help the Nigerian church.

By Your mercy alone, may the Nigerian government repent of its sin of condoning the attacks of Islamic extremists and enforcing blasphemy laws, and be renewed through the washing of rebirth and the renewing work of the Holy Spirit.

May Nigeria cease from deeds of eternal darkness, gain discernment, and become a holy nation of God—heirs of eternal life and inheritors of Your kingdom.

Grant that the church in Nigeria and throughout Africa may be strengthened to hold fast to Your promises amid tribulation, and lead their nations with the spirit of martyrdom.

Let the Nigerian and African churches boldly proclaim the name of Jesus Christ, who is true eternal life, to all nations.Through Nigeria, may the way for the Lord’s return be prepared swiftly among all peoples and nations!