A Mission to Encourage the Christians of Nigeria
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
In December of last year, an FBR volunteer, Frank Romero, traveled to Nigeria to meet with members of the church, government, and military who stand in opposition to the violence perpetrated by extremist Fulani fighters and other groups. The Fulani are a predominantly Muslim nomadic ethnic group. Many Fulani believe that Allah has given them Nigeria to be a Fulani nation, and that they must fight for it. Therefore, Fulani militias, sometimes under the leadership of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram, attack anyone, including other Muslim communities, who oppose the creation of a Fulani nation. The Christians of Nigeria are one of their primary targets. By partnering with local ministries and community leaders, Frank and his team provided encouragement and material aid while assessing the potential for future FBR involvement. Here is Frank's summary of his time with the people of Nigeria:
The trip began in Kaduna State, which is a center of the conflict between the nomadic Fulani and local farmers, many of whom are Christian. One of our first stops was to meet three pastors who had come face to face with persecution by the Fulani. These men led churches and oversaw Christian communities that were targets of the Fulani. They had firsthand accounts of the evil attacks and told harrowing stories as they held back tears of anger and sadness. One of the stories was of a pastor and his wife who had recently been abducted. The Fulani took this couple to their camp and demanded a ransom from their family and church. They killed the pastor’s wife in front of him, and then put a bullet in his leg. This wound was left untreated and eventually became maggot-infested. The level of misery finally led one of the Fulani men to release the pastor after six months of captivity.
Another one of these men, a local church leader, had been abducted by the Fulani. He was held captive until the ransom was paid, but after his release, his son was also taken. The week before I arrived, a different pastor, his wife, and daughter had all been abducted. The day that we had this meeting, the Fulani killed the husband. They filled him with bullet holes before dumping him on the side of the road. They continued to hold the wife and daughter captive, demanding the equivalent of $5,000 USD, an iPhone, and a data card, in exchange for their release.
Family members scrambled to provide the armed men with the valuables to save their loved ones, but when the ransom was paid, only the mother was released. The family of the kidnapped daughter began to worry that they may never see her again. A common practice of the Fulani militia in Nigeria is to capture women from the communities they attack, then force them into marriage with a Fulani soldier. The community was in turmoil, unsure what to do next as they waited for any news on the daughter's condition. Months after I departed Nigeria, I received an update that she had finally been set free. We thank God that this mother and daughter were able to return home, though the terrible threat of kidnapping by Fulani fighters, both for ransom and forced marriage, is still a rampant issue for civilians in central Nigerian communities.
The pastors we met with highlighted the immediate need in their various communities for the training of young men in defensive options and medical intervention. They said they have many men who are ready to learn and apply medical skills. Before departing, I prayed with them and told them that we were here because God loves them. It was important that we communicated the heart behind our mission and that an attitude of love was at the forefront of our interactions with the communities in central Nigeria. I assured them they were not alone and that we wanted to help, even though we did not yet know what that help would look like. We handed out FBR shirts and hats. The three pastors were sad and had little hope for change when the meeting began, but by the end, through prayer and encouragement, their attitude shifted, leaving them hopeful and excited about the future.
When more of my team members arrived in Nigeria, we moved to Benue State, where we linked up with a local missionary organization that shared our heart for the oppressed. They have been in Nigeria for six years and have established a strong foothold in the local communities, building relationships with tribal leaders and government entities. They seek to help combat Christian persecution by providing safe staging grounds throughout the country for individuals and groups interested in defending their communities to rest, train, and plan.
In Benue, there are many camps filled with internally displaced people (IDPs), five of which we visited. These camps are the product of Christian communities being attacked and overtaken by the Fulani. Although they were meant to be a temporary solution to their displacement, some families have lived in these conditions for nearly eight years. One camp we visited is called Mega City, where around 40,000 displaced Christians currently live.
We also visited some military outposts around the region. The men manning these posts face terrible living conditions, have no supplies, and very limited training. They are often unable to respond to calls because they have no serviceable vehicles. The military efforts in Benue have all of the odds stacked against them due to rampant corruption. Although Benue is mostly Christian, it is one of the most dangerous places for a Christian to live. Informants are embedded in local leadership on multiple levels, reporting on military movements to the Fulani and other violent militias. This makes it nearly impossible for the military to defend the people of Benue while also bringing the perpetrators of this violence to justice.
When speaking to a high-ranking Christian military officer, he gave us a picture of their struggle. He informed us that when they are conducting offensive strikes on militia encampments or doing rescue operations, informants within the ranks, or along their routes, will tip off the militias. He told us these groups will often set up ambushes, killing his men, or slip away before the military can catch them. In Benue, the Fulani fighters are well armed, including an array of RPGs, rockets, landmine capabilities, drones, and mortars. Many of these weapons appear to be provided by foreign companies who incite chaos in Benue as cover for their illegal mining operations.
Everywhere we went, we heard story after story from those who had gone through the most evil tragedies. In one IDP camp, we met a woman whose village had been destroyed, and in the process, the Fulani had set her on fire and mutilated her body with machetes. All we could do was give her simple words of encouragement, point her to Christ, and pray with her. The smile on her face after our time together shattered the hopelessness with divine love.
After leaving Benue State, we made our way back to Kaduna State, but this time we went far into the Muslim-controlled north. We met with some prominent Christian leaders and heard a detailed history of Nigeria and the events that have culminated in the current crisis. Although Kaduna State is considered the spawning grounds for the Fulani campaign, the attitude of the Christians there was far different. There are no IDP camps in Kaduna, because IDPs are taken into the homes of family members. This has put significant strain on households intended for one family, which now must house several. Despite this positive note, the stories were the same. The brutality and aggression of the Fulani were rampant. Attacks on villages and abductions occurred regularly. One of the security advisors we spoke with said there were 170 villages in his jurisdiction and that, on average, 10 villages are attacked daily.
One morning in Kaduna was spent ministering to the people in a Christian area. The people gathered for a time of encouragement and music. After I gave a message meant to encourage the men, I told the group that if anyone needed prayer, they could come up to one of my teammates and me, and we would pray for them. The response was overwhelming. Over 100 people lined up in front of each of us, and one by one, we heard their requests and prayed for them. The men in these communities need to be encouraged by God’s word and reminded of who they are in Christ. The short message given to them seemed to ignite something, and in our brief time together, I saw God work.
In this same village, we met many widows and thought this would be a good time to use some of the funding FBR had given to widows and orphans. We purchased 30 pigs and feed for the livestock, giving the women economic opportunity. We also gave away about 30 FBR shirts, along with stickers, hats, and patches.
On that same day, we were taken to meet eight elders who oversaw one of the largest regions of Kaduna State. They represented thousands of Christian villagers, and the chairman of the elders was ready to tell us a detailed account of every attack that had occurred in his region since 2017. His voice was deep and powerful, but at times you could hear the trembling and see his deep brown eyes glisten as tears welled up. He had dates, locations, and the number of killed, injured, and captured victims. Some days, two deaths. Some days 70. Other days over 150. Sometimes there would be brief periods of quiet lasting a week, but to this day, the attacks continue.
This tribe had a large population of widows and orphans, and after hearing some of the widows’ stories, we gifted the remaining FBR funds to them to hold a Christmas celebration for widows and purchase gifts for the orphans. We met many more pastors and Christians on our journey through Kaduna State, and the consensus was similar throughout. These people are in need of proper training, humanitarian aid, and international attention as they face the threat of violence.
There is much more detail we can give for each location and with each interaction, but for now, we wanted to give you a broad overview of the crisis faced by civilians in Nigeria today. We established relationships that open opportunities for logistics, supplies, medical intervention and training, GLCs, and partnerships with churches, missionary organizations, military personnel, and government entities.
Thank you for your support and prayers that we get to pass on to people in desperate need. Please continue to pray for the people of Nigeria, Burma, and so many other countries longing for peace.
Thanks and God bless,
Frank Romero with the Free Burma Rangers
