What is going on in Nigeria? Who can stop the slaughter?

Nigeria’s history has largely been formed by the Christian faith. However, in recent years and especially 2026, the Muslim minority has violently attacked Christian communities and churches.

In a nation with the largest population of Christians in Africa and centuries of Christian influence, many are now calling the violence and murder by Islamists an attempt at an erasure of Christians, or a “cleansing” of the culture of Christians.

Just this month (October 2026), twelve people, including a 3-year-old, were murdered in the farming community in Benue province by radical Muslims shouting “Allahu Akbar.” This is noteworthy, since Benue is 98% Christian in population.

Another young woman, a Christian aid worker with the Red Cross, was shot through the chest while traveling from her responsibilities to help the sick and hurting. Lydia helped others in dangerous areas and “chose to go where others refused to go,” the Christian Daily reported.

One religious freedom NGO estimates 23,000 Christians have been murdered by Islamists from 2019-2025. The mounting deaths add to the atrocities as Muslims abducting Christians reach over 35,000.

(To discover more details about Nigerian persecution, visit Barnabas Aid July 2026, October 13, 2026 Christian Daily International.)