NIGERIA
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. Christianity in Nigeria has a history stretching back to the 15th century, introduced by Portuguese explorers and missionaries. While early efforts were limited, sustained missionary work began in the 19th century, particularly with the arrival of British Protestant and Catholic missionaries. This led to significant growth, especially with the return of freed Christian slaves who actively spread the faith. Today, Nigeria has a large Christian population, but also faces religious tensions and conflicts, particularly in the north. Portuguese explorers and Catholic missionaries, including Augustinians and Capuchins, first introduced Christianity to the Nigerian coast, specifically the kingdoms of Benin and Warri. These early missions focused on baptizing local elites and establishing trade links, but had limited long-term impact due to a focus on trade and the reversion to traditional practices.
Catholic missionaries also arrived as merchants in the 17th century, but kings and rulers were more interested in trade goods than the new religion. The 19th century saw the beginning of significant missionary activity, coinciding with British colonial expansion and the abolition of the slave trade. Protestant groups like the Church Missionary Society (CMS), Methodists, and Baptists established missions, particularly in southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt. The CMS, led by Henry Townsend, founded a mission in Badagry in 1842, marking the formal introduction of Anglicanism in Nigeria. Methodist missionary Birch Freeman also established congregations in Yoruba areas like Abeokuta and Lagos. The return of freed Christian slaves, including Samuel Ajayi Crowther, played a crucial role in spreading Christianity, particularly in the Yoruba region. Crowther, a former slave, was later ordained as the first African Anglican Bishop of the Niger, a significant milestone in the indigenization of Christianity in Nigeria. Catholic missions were revived in the 1860s, focusing on southeastern Nigeria, particularly Igboland, with Onitsha becoming a key Catholic mission center. Christianity grew exponentially, aided by missionary efforts, the return of freed slaves, and the establishment of schools and other institutions. However, religious tensions and conflicts with other religious groups, particularly Muslims, emerged, leading to violence and political opposition. The rise of Boko Haram, an Islamist militant organization, has further exacerbated religious tensions, with attacks on Christians and churches. Despite these challenges, Christianity continues to be a major religion in Nigeria, with a large and growing population.
Catholic missionaries also arrived as merchants in the 17th century, but kings and rulers were more interested in trade goods than the new religion. The 19th century saw the beginning of significant missionary activity, coinciding with British colonial expansion and the abolition of the slave trade. Protestant groups like the Church Missionary Society (CMS), Methodists, and Baptists established missions, particularly in southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt. The CMS, led by Henry Townsend, founded a mission in Badagry in 1842, marking the formal introduction of Anglicanism in Nigeria. Methodist missionary Birch Freeman also established congregations in Yoruba areas like Abeokuta and Lagos. The return of freed Christian slaves, including Samuel Ajayi Crowther, played a crucial role in spreading Christianity, particularly in the Yoruba region. Crowther, a former slave, was later ordained as the first African Anglican Bishop of the Niger, a significant milestone in the indigenization of Christianity in Nigeria. Catholic missions were revived in the 1860s, focusing on southeastern Nigeria, particularly Igboland, with Onitsha becoming a key Catholic mission center. Christianity grew exponentially, aided by missionary efforts, the return of freed slaves, and the establishment of schools and other institutions. However, religious tensions and conflicts with other religious groups, particularly Muslims, emerged, leading to violence and political opposition. The rise of Boko Haram, an Islamist militant organization, has further exacerbated religious tensions, with attacks on Christians and churches. Despite these challenges, Christianity continues to be a major religion in Nigeria, with a large and growing population.
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Donald Trump and the absurd myth of Boko Haram’s Christian genocide in Nigeria The US should do its own homework and listen to what Nigerians are saying themselves about the jihadist violence. It was late night talk show host Bill Maher who brought the issue to the American public on 26 September 2025 when he spoke of the systematic killing of Christians in Nigeria. More 100,000 Christians have been killed, and 18,000 churches have been churches burnt by Boko Haram since 2009, he stated. It did not take long for the Christian political right to start mobilising. US Republican Senator Ted Cruz claimed a “Christian mass murder” was occurring in Nigeria. This morphed into talk of a Christian genocide. Senator Cruz went further accusing Abuja of ignoring and enabling the mass murder of Christians, and introduced a bill aiming to sanction Nigeria. Echoing Senator Cruz, President Donald Trump has accused the Nigerian government of not doing enough to halt the murder of Christians and has ordered the US military to prepare for an attack on Nigeria. (Daily Maverick 11/11/25) READMORE>>>> How Christian Nationalism Is Shaping Trump’s Foreign Policy Toward Africa After threatening last weekend to go “guns-a-blazing” into Nigeria in defense of Christian Nigerians, President Donald Trump has ended protection for another group facing violence and political instability. On Wednesday, the Trump administration terminated temporary protected status shielding immigrants from South Sudan from deportation, even though the African nation has faced escalating violence, political instability, and food insecurity in recent weeks. The announcement stands in stark contrast to another recent decision from the administration to give Afrikaners priority for asylum, even as the State Department moved to severely limit refugee admission to the United States. The president has justified prioritizing white South Africans by spreading misleading claims about the persecution and killings of white farmers. While Trump’s immigration and foreign policy stances in relation to these three countries may seem disjointed, experts on white supremacy and Christian nationalism told The Intercept that it all fit into the white Christian nationalist playbook. Trump’s strategy feeds into his base’s fears over immigration and demographic change while positioning the president as a defender of Christian values. (The Intercept 11/8/25) READMORE>>>> Donald Trump calls Nigeria 'country of particular concern' due to 'slaughter' of Christians Donald Trump has said he is designating Nigeria a "country of particular concern" as "thousands of Christians" are being killed there. Posting on Truth Social, he said radical Islamists are committing "mass slaughter" and Christianity is "facing an existential threat" in the West African nation. (Sky News 10/31/25) READMORE>>>> Ted Cruz blames Nigeria for ‘mass murder’ of Christians: What’s the truth? United States Senator Ted Cruz has accused Nigeria’s government of enabling a “massacre” against Christians, citing a rising number of attacks against the community in the country’s troubled centre. In an X post on Tuesday, Cruz said 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 with 2,000 schools and 18,000 churches destroyed by what he called “Islamist” armed groups, but he did not cite sources for the information. Cruz, who counts evangelical Christians among his base, has introduced a bill to sanction Nigerian officials whom he accused of “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians” (Aljazeera 10/8/25) READMORE>>>> “What is happening to Christianity in Nigeria is incomprehensible.” A prominent Nigerian Catholic researcher and criminologist has issued a stark warning: Christianity could disappear from Nigeria within the next 50 years if the persecution of Christians continues and an agenda of Islamization succeeds. Emeka Umeagbalasi, Director of the Catholic-inspired International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), made these remarks following a recent attack on the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivhianokpodi village, within the Auchi Diocese in Edo State. (Catholic World Report 7/18/25) READMORE>>>>> |
February 1, 2023: Mission Box reported: More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces a vast humanitarian catastrophe, as a wave of religiously motivated violence nurtured in Nigeria has swept across the region, targeting Christian populations at an alarming rate in countries like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Niger. Signs of jihadist expansion are also clearly visible in Mozambique , Congo DR and other countries. This is the disturbing finding of Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List.
March 27, 2023: Church Leaders reported: Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists killed 27 Christians in two attacks tin March 2023 in Kaduna state, Nigeria, local sources said. Both attacks took place in Zangon Kataf County, where 10 Christians were killed on March 14 in Langson village and 17 slain in Ungwan Wakili village on March 10, residents said. June 13, 2022: Catholic News Agency reported: More than a week after a devastating massacre at a Catholic church in Nigeria on Pentecost, an advocate for persecuted Christians says that Nigerian Christians largely do not view the U.S. government as a “credible partner” that will advocate on their behalf. |
Lagos LG Poll: Participate actively in politics, cleric tells Christians
Ahead of the Lagos State Local Government Election scheduled for Saturday, July 12, a non-governmental organisation, Centre for Politics and Governance (CPG), has called for greater participation of the Christians in the political process. This comes as the group alleged marginalisation of Christians in the recently concluded primaries for the local council elections in Lagos State. Speaking during a press briefing in Lagos, the President of CPG, Bishop Stephen Ogedengbe, said the organisation has received numerous complaints from aggrieved aspirants, many of whom alleged religious imbalance and exclusion in the outcome of recent party primaries.
(Daily Trust 6/10/25) READ MORE>>>>>
Ahead of the Lagos State Local Government Election scheduled for Saturday, July 12, a non-governmental organisation, Centre for Politics and Governance (CPG), has called for greater participation of the Christians in the political process. This comes as the group alleged marginalisation of Christians in the recently concluded primaries for the local council elections in Lagos State. Speaking during a press briefing in Lagos, the President of CPG, Bishop Stephen Ogedengbe, said the organisation has received numerous complaints from aggrieved aspirants, many of whom alleged religious imbalance and exclusion in the outcome of recent party primaries.
(Daily Trust 6/10/25) READ MORE>>>>>
Fulani Islamic terrorists kill 100 Christians in Benue State, Nigeria; Escalates ongoing genocide......
Fulani Islamic terrorists have unleashed yet another massacre in Nigeria’s Benue State, burning alive entire families and killing 100 Christians in Yelewata village. The carnage marks a chilling escalation in the Middle Belt’s ongoing genocide against Christians, part of a broader Africa-wide jihad spreading from West Asia, now targeting the heart of the continent......
(O.rganizer 6/15/25) READ MORE>>>>>
Fulani Islamic terrorists have unleashed yet another massacre in Nigeria’s Benue State, burning alive entire families and killing 100 Christians in Yelewata village. The carnage marks a chilling escalation in the Middle Belt’s ongoing genocide against Christians, part of a broader Africa-wide jihad spreading from West Asia, now targeting the heart of the continent......
(O.rganizer 6/15/25) READ MORE>>>>>
Benue Christian group flays foreign interference in Nigeria’s affairs, calls for national unity
A Christian advocacy group based in Benue State has raised concerns over what it perceives as growing foreign involvement in Nigeria’s internal affairs, warning that such meddling—alongside domestic political opportunism—could threaten the country’s unity and sovereignty. The Concerned Christians of Benue State (CCBS), in a statement signed by its chairman, Matthew Samuel, expressed alarm over what it described as calculated efforts by international actors, in collaboration with some local figures, to exploit Nigeria’s ethnic and religious divides—particularly in the northern region. “Nigeria is once again at the crossroads of faith, patriotism, and the quest for peace,” the statement read. (The Authority 6/1/25) READ MORE>>>>>
A Christian advocacy group based in Benue State has raised concerns over what it perceives as growing foreign involvement in Nigeria’s internal affairs, warning that such meddling—alongside domestic political opportunism—could threaten the country’s unity and sovereignty. The Concerned Christians of Benue State (CCBS), in a statement signed by its chairman, Matthew Samuel, expressed alarm over what it described as calculated efforts by international actors, in collaboration with some local figures, to exploit Nigeria’s ethnic and religious divides—particularly in the northern region. “Nigeria is once again at the crossroads of faith, patriotism, and the quest for peace,” the statement read. (The Authority 6/1/25) READ MORE>>>>>
Christian acquitted of blasphemy after being jailed 19 months
A Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy and jailed for 19 months has been acquitted, according to the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom International. A judge in Nigeria’s Bauchi state disclosed in December 2024 the acquittal of Rhoda Jatau, ADF International announced and the news outlets Christian Daily International and Morning Star News reported. Jatau was arrested in May 2022 and was not granted bail until December 2023. She was accused of sharing a video on WhatsApp that condemned the May 2022 killing of college student Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu. Muslim classmates in Sokoto killed Yakubu for telling people about Jesus Christ. They then burned her body. (Alabama Baptist 1/25/25) READ MORE>>>>>
A Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy and jailed for 19 months has been acquitted, according to the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom International. A judge in Nigeria’s Bauchi state disclosed in December 2024 the acquittal of Rhoda Jatau, ADF International announced and the news outlets Christian Daily International and Morning Star News reported. Jatau was arrested in May 2022 and was not granted bail until December 2023. She was accused of sharing a video on WhatsApp that condemned the May 2022 killing of college student Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu. Muslim classmates in Sokoto killed Yakubu for telling people about Jesus Christ. They then burned her body. (Alabama Baptist 1/25/25) READ MORE>>>>>