by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – As Islamic jihadists continue a relentless campaign of murder, abductions, and displacement against Christians in northern Nigeria, communities of local believers are joining together to pray and to support one another, including with finances to pay extortionate ransoms for kidnapped loved ones, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
“Islamic Fulani extremists and other groups are increasingly abducting Christians and demanding significant ransoms, putting immense pressure on families and local communities,” ICC said in its report. “In response, Christians are raising awareness of the abductions in Kaduna and Niger states and mobilizing assistance for those affected,” ICC said.
Citing an example that illustrates the desperate situation, ICC reports that the family of Emmanuel Nyasom, Jr., 54, is seeking help after kidnappers increased their ransom demand to 90 million Naira (about $53,000). A father of eight children, Nyasom was kidnapped from his farm near Kontagora in Niger state on October 31.
Nigeria ranks number one in the world for the number of Christians murdered and/or kidnapped on account of their faith. More Christians are murdered in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization reports.
In a current website statement about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, Open Doors reports: “Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Muslim-majority north, continue to live under immense pressure and to be terrorized with devastating impunity by Islamic militants and armed ‘bandits.’The attacks are often brutal in nature and can involve destruction of properties, abductions for ransom, sexual violence and death.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
A prominent Christian preacher and activist known for his anti-war views has died in Russian custody, Worthy News learned Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a blunt message to Iran on Monday: the United States will not accept any arrangement in which Tehran acts as gatekeeper to the Strait of Hormuz — demanding coordination, permission, or payment from vessels wishing to pass through what are, by international law, open waters.
Jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has withdrawn an appeal against a court ruling rejecting his request to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, marking another setback in the long-running 1MDB corruption saga.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump said a shooting that disrupted the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner underscored what he called the urgent need for a controversial new White House ballroom.
A period of mourning continued Monday in southwestern Colombia after at least 20 people were killed in a bus bombing along a key highway, officials said, in one of the deadliest recent attacks in the volatile region.
A part of northern Japan was hit by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake while elsewhere in the region wildfires were burning through more than 1,600 hectares of forest as of Monday morning, authorities and witnesses said.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday to allow Texas to implement its revised congressional map, overturning a lower court decision that had blocked the plan over racial gerrymandering concerns.