Nigerian Christian blood

At no time in Nigeria’s history has the church faced the level of persecution it is currently experiencing. For about 2 years, hundreds of Christians have been killed and dozens of churches destroyed. Sometimes they are killed while in church services. The Islamic sect called Boko Haram has always claimed responsibility for all these attacks. Just last week, the Deeper Christian Life Church in Okene, Kogi State, was attacked and some 20 worshipers were shot dead right in the middle of the church service. Many others who had various degrees of gunshot wounds are still in the hospital. Last Christmas, the Catholic church in Madalla, Niger state, was bombed, leaving dozens of faithful dead or maimed. On the same day another church was bombed in Bauchi.

A few months ago, two churches at Bayero de Kano University were attacked. Many faithful, including university professors, lost their lives. Just last month, some 50 people (including women and children) who took refuge in a church were smoked and shot. The attackers first set fire to the church building, then stood at the entrance and shot these innocent women, children and old people who were trying to escape from the furnace and smoke. And since then we have lost count of the churches that have been bombed or attacked by gunmen in Yobe, Gombe, Plateau, Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Kaduna and Kogi states. Everything in the north.

But this is not the first time that the church is undergoing such persecutions in the northern part of the country. The differences with the present are the avalanche, the degree and the coordination of the attacks. Until now, any riot or demonstration in this part of the country will always end up killing Christians and people from other regions. Thousands have gone this way. Among many, there is the case of Gideon Akaluka; who was beheaded and his head used to be displayed in the market. What about the young Yoruba teacher who was murdered in Gombe on the flimsy excuse that she touched the Qur’an while she was trying to stop her students from cheating on an exam? She called her husband when she saw the attackers, but she couldn’t finish before they lynched her. Her little baby was saved by good Samaritans who jumped over the school fence to rescue him. And these are just a few cases that space will allow us to note here.

But who is responsible for all these atrocities against Christians and humanity? What crime has the church committed? Are these executions and destruction accidental or part of a larger plan to get rid of Christians in Nigeria? Is the current onslaught an expression of frustration from those who bragged about imposing their belief from the desert to the sea? Has the rapid, phenomenal, and steady growth and prosperity of the church in the country, which has undermined the plot and expectations, thus angered them by their resort to declaring war against God’s people?

Now, Christians have paid enough for the peaceful coexistence of the country called Nigeria. The entire earth is saturated with the blood of these innocent women, children and men whose only crime is what they believe in a secular nation that is supposed to be governed by a constitution that has guaranteed freedom of religion and association. With the current resurgence in attacks, we urgently call on the federal government and law enforcement agencies to step up efforts to stop these attacks, expose those behind them, and bring them to a book. The government, the Inspector General of the police, the army and other security agencies must ensure that churches and Christians are well protected from the ongoing wanton destruction. Security protection must be dispatched immediately to all these endangered places of worship, especially in the northern part of the country. The government must no longer watch citizens being murdered for frivolous, dubious and satanic religious and political reasons. Enough is enough! So the blood of these Christian martyrs must not be in vain. Remember, like the blood of Cain, they would be clamoring against the murderers and the nation until justice is done.

For the attackers, you are embarking on a project that is impossible to achieve. Go and read the history of the church. All the attempts that have been made to annihilate Christianity have always ended in vain. And because? You cannot successfully fight your creator. Jesus said that He will build his church and the gates of hell will NEVER prevail against it. The church will always expand and mysteriously prosper even in the face of persecution. TRUE! Therefore, I advise you and your patrons at home and abroad to keep your guns down against God and his people and embrace the gospel. Stop kicking against the STONE!

And for the church, we must not be discouraged. The word of God says that we should not fear those who can only destroy the body, but cannot touch the soul. In fact, he said that we should rejoice in tribulation, because it is an indication that we belong to Christ and that the gospel is having the expected impact. The enemy-Satan is only reacting out of frustration. This is a time for us to rededicate our lives and service to God. However, we must adopt Nehemiah’s strategy now. As he and his team rebuilt the ruined walls and the city of Jerusalem, they were also well prepared to fully defend themselves against enemies. And this successfully controlled the opposition until the job was completed. Let us all pray that God changes the hearts of these enemies of the church, gives us peace and prospers the gospel and the country in the name of Jesus – Amen!