Assaults by bandits and Islamic extremists have increased across northern Nigeria in recent days, and assisted missionaries are among those affected. “This year has been especially difficult for our missionaries serving in high-risk zones,” the ministry leader said. “It is a deeply distressing and unstable situation.”
A Missionary’s Testimony
John*, an assisted missionary in northern Nigeria, provided the following testimony after his encounter with a group of armed men who stormed his church during a worship service.
“Bandits and Muslims worked together and came and stopped us from worshipping God in our church. They didn’t want to hear the name of Christ in this place. All of them gathered with their cutlasses and with their sticks to fight me and my family. It was by the grace of God I escaped that. They even beat one of my members in my presence. They tried to kill him. I was begging them, ‘Please don’t kill this man. He’s innocent, he’s innocent!’ We are here for Christ!’
“In the morning, I will wake up and continue preaching the gospel of Christ.”
I escaped that place narrowly, and by the grace of God, I didn’t stop [preaching]. I said, ‘No, I cannot just stop because I am preaching the gospel of Christ. If Jesus Christ will die for our sins, I cannot run and leave people in their sins. I came back; I continued to preach. Now, sometimes, they will come in the night and they’ll pursue us. I will run and sleep in the bush with my family. In the morning, I will wake up and continue preaching the gospel of Christ.”
Missionaries Respond to the Need
Despite the increasing risk, local missionaries have assisted 230 people who fled attacks by bandits in their communities in the last six months. “The outreach team mobilized quickly, partnering with local contacts to locate the displaced people and arrange a safe evacuation,” the ministry leader said. “They were guided to safer locations and received food support and basic medical help, especially for children and nursing mothers.”
With the help of these missionaries, men, women, and children received critical care and comfort. “These acts of service demonstrate that even in the darkest circumstances, practical love and sustained support can restore dignity,” the ministry leader said. “Even in the face of adversity, we remain committed to the mission, trusting God to bring beauty out of ashes.”
Will You Assist Missionaries Here?
These missionaries are determined to continue their gospel work even as the danger increases. But they need your help and support. Please consider a donation today to support those facing persecution. And please lift Nigerian believers up in prayer. “We are asking believers in the whole world to help us in Nigeria,” John said. “We are facing a lot of challenges. I pray that Almighty God will raise people to pray for us. Thank you.”
*Name changed for security
