Written by: Open Doors SA
Article source: JOY! Magazine
Violence against Christians in sub-Saharan Africa has reached alarming new levels as violent Islamic militants destabilise the region using extreme violence. It is most extreme in Nigeria, where militants from Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and others conduct raids on Christian communities – killing, maiming, raping, and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery. This year, Nigeria is ranked sixth on Open Doors International’s World Watch List, which shows the top 50 countries where Christians experience the worst persecution for their faith. Nigeria has also once again topped the list as the most violent country for Christians in the world.
Impact of persecution
Religiously motivated killings in Nigeria have risen from 4650 last year to 5014 this year – a staggering 89% of the international total. A total of 2510 Christians in Nigeria were abducted for their faith, and thousands more have been forced into internal displacement or have become refugees. Ayuba*, a young Nigerian believer, experienced the damaging impact of persecution first-hand. His father and eight other Christians were killed in a brutal Boko Haram attack on his village in northern Nigeria in 2020 when Ayuba was 20 years old.
Ayuba and his siblings
Attack by Boko Haram
Ayuba vividly remembers the day Boko Haram came to his village. “We heard rapid gunshots and saw that a building had been set on fire. People started running for their lives when they heard that Boko Haram had killed a man. My siblings and I fled, and we ran until we crossed a river behind our village. I hoped that my father was following behind, but there was no sign of him.”
A devastating discovery
When Ayuba and his siblings returned to the village the next morning, they heard from relatives that Boko Haram had captured their father. When they asked him if he was a Muslim or a Christian, he replied: “Christian.” This reply was all that the militants needed to hear in order to kill him. They beheaded Ayuba’s father on the spot. Back at their house, Ayuba found three bodies on the ground. He recognised his father by his clothing. He kneeled by his side while he prayed. Even in that moment of grief, Ayuba was able to give thanks to God. He said: “God, I am grateful – You have given, and You have taken. May my father rest together with You.”
Still in extreme danger
Afterwards, Ayuba learnt that he and his family were still in extreme danger from the Islamic militants. He recounted: “A few weeks after the attack, Boko Haram sent a list to our village – a list of people they were coming to kill. And my name was on it.” He realised that it would be best for him and his siblings to move to another village. From there, a local pastor arranged for them to move further south, about an eight-hour drive from their village.
Learning to forgive
The pastor also recommended that Ayuba, who is now the breadwinner for his family, should get trauma care from Open Doors partners at the Shalom Trauma Care Centre. Today he testifies that God used the trauma care and emotional and spiritual support to strengthen his faith, develop resilience, and heal him emotionally. “It enabled me to forgive my father’s killer and those who helped Boko Haram identify Christians in the village. I learnt to leave everything at the feet of Jesus.”
Your support is vital
Your support can help young people like Ayuba to heal from trau-ma and protect the Church by meeting needs of persecuted believers. Make use of the banking details below to give a gift today.
Geopende Deure – Open Doors NPC | Nedbank | Branch: 198765 | Acc: 113 750 4552 (Business) | Ref: JE2306
Geopende Deure – Open Doors NPC | Capitec Business | Branch: 450105 | Acc: 1051150132 (Current) | Ref: JE2306
*Name changed for security reasons. | Photos: © 2023 Open Doors International
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Date published: 25/05/2023
Feature image: Ayuba found healing from his trauma through Open Doors.
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