More than 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2023, representing 90% of the overall worldwide total killed because of their faith, making it the deadliest country in the world for Christians.
The African country has been a dangerous place for Christians for years, mainly because of Islamic terror groups such as Boko Haram, (who infamously kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls in 2014 and regularly post online videos of their members beheading Christians) as well as Fulani Herdsmen and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). A particularly brutal attack saw 200 Christians slaughtered and 500 more injured by Islamic fundamentalists between 23 and 25 December 2023.
According to Open Doors, almost 103 million of Nigeria’s 222 million population are Christians. Most persecution occurs in the Muslim-majority north of the country, where they are subject to the region’s sharia law, which can see them executed for disobeying blasphemy laws. But government inaction since the election of President Muhammadu Buhari has enabled persecution to worsen and spread further south.
Illia Djadi, West Africa expert for Open Doors International, told en: ‘Open Doors measures persecution along a number of markers, including family life and community life, as well as violence. However, if violence was the only factor considered in our research, Nigeria would be ranked in the top place (on their World Watch List), making it the most dangerous place to be a Christian.
‘Open Doors research suggests that more believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year than everywhere else in the world combined. Men and boys are often specifically targeted, to undermine the growth of Christian families in the future. Women and girls face abduction and sexual violence, with the knowledge that sometimes their communities reject them when they come home.
‘The lack of protection and justice for communities vulnerable to attacks has only strengthened the militants’ influence.’
