Faith is a matter of life and death in northern Nigeria, said Bishop John Bogna Bakeni of Maiduguri.
Speaking with OSV News during November’s observances for persecuted Christians, the bishop described life under constant threat from Boko Haram, Islamic State militants, and Fulani herdsmen.
“Every day is a grace,” he said. Since 2009, violence has killed at least 185,000 people in Nigeria, including more than 125,000 Christians, according to human rights groups. Yet, Bishop Bakeni said the church endures: Parishes are rebuilding, trauma centers are helping survivors, and the faithful continue to fill churches despite fear and loss.
The bishop thanked global Catholic charities and nations like Poland and the US for their support, urging more action for justice and security.
“When faith costs something, it becomes real,” he said. ACN will highlight such suffering on 19 November with its worldwide Red Wednesday campaign for persecuted Christians.
On 31 October, President Donald Trump announced that the US would again designate Nigeria a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom and threatened to suspend nonhumanitarian aid and take “action” if the Nigerian government did not act swiftly to protect Christians from extremist violence.