Nigerian Christians at breaking point: Targeted attacks continue

The first half of 2026 has proved to be devastating for God’s people living in northwestern Nigeria. The year started with 177 churchgoers being kidnapped in Kaduna State, and violence and killings have continued every month. This includes 13 people murdered and 28 abducted during a Christian wedding celebration in March.

It was Sunday, 10 April, 2026. For most of us, it was just another day. For Nigerian Christian mother Sabina David*, it was the day her world forever changed.

At midnight, while she and her family were sleeping in their home in northwestern Nigeria’s Kaduna State, armed Fulani militants broke in and kidnapped all 12 people in the house.

Sabina had little understanding of the nightmare of murder, beatings, humiliation and starvation she would soon face. She recently shared her story with our Open Doors local partners, asking for prayers from the worldwide Church. “God gave me the strength to tell my story today,” she says.

She took us through each detail (some of which are too unthinkable to share), starting with the horrific trek to the militants’ base that night. “We were walking in the bush when they started killing some of us before we got to their hideout,” Sabina remembers. “When we arrived early morning, they started beating us.”

The next day, on Monday, 11 April, the militants selected seven women to beat Bulus, her husband. Sabina pleaded for them to stop, only to then be beaten so severely that she fainted.

“I woke up and saw my husband in chains on the ground,” she says. “We were chained like slaves.”

The next day, the beatings continued, as the militants again forced the women to assault her husband. On Tuesday, 11 April, around 3:00 pm, Bulus died from his wounds. “They took his body and threw it like a dog in the river,” Sabina says, thinking back to the painful scene.

The militants’ next move was humiliation. “They played an MP3 and forced me to dance in front of them,” Sabina says. “As I danced, they beat me – the whole time with me grieving my husband.”

Bulus would not be the last family member Sabina would lose in captivity. The militants also murdered two of her sons.

“They killed the boys at the same place they dumped my husband’s body,” she says. “I faced a lot of terrible things in the kidnappers’ den. They killed my husband in my presence; my children were also killed. I was chained like a slave, with no food to eat, no water to drink.”

“Because we are children of God”

Sabina believes her faith in Jesus was the reason she and her family were kidnapped and treated so violently. Bulus was not a pastor, but he and his family were involved in their local church.

“Because we profess that we are children of God – that is the reason why we face these challenges,” she says.

Church leaders echo her beliefs as former captives have shared with them the dilemma they faced at the hands of the extremists.

“Former captives tell us that after they are taken to the bush, they are asked to convert to Islam […] those who accept Islam are treated better. Their ransom is reduced, and they are freed earlier. Those who reject Islam are beaten mercilessly and do not get food,” says Pastor Shuaibu Matthew, a local church leader in Katsina State, one of the Nigerian states most impacted by the recent wave of violence.

Another church leader, Rev. Enoch, notes that he has seen Christian persecution increase rapidly. “Even in social media, you will hear them say, ‘Kill the unbelievers,’” he says. “The world should know that we are suffering persecution because of our belief in Christ Jesus.”

A dire breaking point

Throughout northwestern Nigeria, specifically in Kaduna and Katsina states, Christians are being chased from their homes, kidnapped and killed. And as a result, thousands of believers are at a breaking point.

“It has gotten to a point where people find it difficult to feed their families because farmlands that people cultivate are no longer accessible to them,” Rev. Enoch explains, adding the situation has become so dire that some children have resorted to stealing and some women have turned to prostitution to survive.

Pastor Shuaibu describes the difficult situation in his community. “My members are still suffering from lack of food, and their animals have been taken away,” he shares. “They are unable to buy food, so they go around looking for food from their family and friends.

“If they eat today, they have no idea where food will come from the next day. Right now, they are in serious poverty.”

Another Katsina State church leader, Pastor Dauda, explains that many families in his community are facing challenges because they’ve taken in children and youth whose parents were killed or abducted. “The first thing needed to help the Christians here in Katsina is food,” he says.

Housing is also a critical need in Kaduna State, says Jumai, whose husband was martyred in an attack. Since his death five years ago, she and her children have been forced to move four times. They are facing another eviction in July if Jumai can’t pay rent.

“How do you solve the problems of your children in this situation we are in now?” she asks.

Standing with suffering believers

As God’s people, we have the opportunity to step into the lives of church leaders and believers like Sabina David and Jumai. We can stand with the Church and let them know they aren’t forgotten … that, as the Apostle Paul reminds us, “When one part of the Body of Christ suffers, every part suffers with it” – 1 Corinthians 12:26.

Pastor Dauda encourages us: “God works in mysterious ways, that even when an attack happens, He brings a way out for His people.” In many ways, God can use our prayers and gifts to bring rescue and restoration.

Our local partners have identified 5 400 displaced Christian families in desperate need of basic supplies, trauma care and long-term support.

Will you prayerfully consider a gift to these families?

• Every R480 could help a Christian who has faced extreme persecution receive hope and healing through trauma care.
• Your gift of R625 could help a household with essentials like soap, a bucket, cooking pots and a Bible.
• For R2 600, you can give a family of six an emergency food package containing staple basics that will last 4-6 weeks.

*In the event that more funds are raised than can be used for these communities, the funds will be used for other vital work strengthening the Church to withstand violent persecution in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hardship and hope

By God’s grace, Sabina and another woman were able to escape their captors.

She could return to her house and her four children. She’s now a widow and a single parent trying to care for her children in an area where insecurity and potential attacks are constant threats.

“What I want our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world to know is that we don’t enjoy peace,” Sabina shares. “And we need them to help us through their prayers.”

While life continues to be difficult, she and thousands of other believers throughout sub-Saharan Africa continue to rely on God. They continue to look to Him for their hope.

“I presumed death for myself because of all that happened,” she says, “but God penetrated my heart. He consoled and strengthened me. And He gave me the strength to tell my story today.

“What I want my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world to know is that everything that happened in this life, God has destined it to happen. We Christians shouldn’t be broken when something happens. We should stand strong in faith so that God Almighty will help.”

Sabina shares a song she sang to herself in captivity:

“O Christ, here I am,
I come to You lost.
There is no one to save me.
No helper, but You alone.
Here I am Lord, here I am.
O’ Christ, here I am.
I have come with the burden of sin,
take it away, cleanse me.

I have not brought a ransom;
I have seen your blood.
Have mercy on me and receive me.

Here I am Lord, here I am.
O’ Christ, here I am.
I have come with the burden of sin.
Take it away, cleanse me.

My salvation is finished;
your blood has redeemed me.
Now I am your servant,
forever I am Yours.
Here I am Lord, here I am.
O’ Christ, here I am.
I have come with the burden of sin,
take it away, cleanse me.”

She continues to sing the hymn today as she walks in both hardship and hope.

“The words strengthen my belief and calm my mind,” she says. “And I return all glory to God Almighty.”

Sabina asks us to pray with her:

• “Pray for us so that God Almighty will strengthen us to remain in our faith without a broken heart. Pray that God will heal my heart.
• “Pray for Maru, our village, and other villages tormented by Fulani militants. May God restore peace in our villages so that we can all live in peace.
• “Pray that God will restore our country.”

The needs are not just in northwestern Nigeria. While this area is the latest flashpoint, Christians across sub-Saharan Africa face displacement and violence because of their faith in Jesus. And they need your prayers!

Pray with your family in Nigeria and throughout sub-Saharan Africa

• Pray that all those who are grieving the loss of loved ones martyred for their faith will know God’s promise – that He is “near to the broken-hearted.”
• Pray with believers in sub-Saharan Africa who continue to ask us to pray that their faith and testimony amidst persecution would be a light for Christ.
• Pray for communities attacked for their faith, especially women who are now widows and their children. Pray that God keeps their faith alive.
• Pray with widows who need divine strength to walk forward and for provision for their families, that they would have unexpected manna.
• Pray by name for Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today. Ask God to give him wisdom and courage to protect the country’s citizens.

*Names changed to protect them.