A Nation Under Siege

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is bleeding. In the vast plains of the Middle Belt and the northern states, a silent war rages that many in the global community have ignored for far too long. Villages have been burned to the ground, churches reduced to ashes, and countless Christians murdered in their homes or in the pews where they gathered to worship. Mothers, fathers, and children have been displaced by the millions, forced to live as refugees in their own land.

This is not random violence. It is a systematic campaign of terror carried out by jihadist groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and heavily armed Fulani militant herders. These groups act with impunity, striking soft targets predominantly Christian farming communities with little or no resistance from the Nigerian state. What is unfolding is assuming the dimensions of genocide and it demands urgent global attention.

The Political Backdrop

Much of this crisis intensified after 2015, when the All Progressives Congress (APC) came to power. The party’s promise was to restore security and root out terrorism. Instead, violence has multiplied, and the state has often appeared indifferent, or worse, complicit. Under the APC-led governments of Muhammadu Buhari and now Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Christian communities have borne the brunt of unchecked bloodshed.

Many Nigerians accuse APC leadership of turning a blind eye to the atrocities, especially those carried out by Fulani militants. This perception is not without reason: the silence from top leadership in the face of mass killings speaks volumes. When communities cry out for help and receive little beyond empty promises, the line between negligence and complicity begins to blur.

My Own Witness and Resistance

I have not watched this tragedy unfold in silence. In my book Nigeria in Decay, I wrote about the failings of Nigerian leadership and the dangerous commercialization of religion. I chronicled how spiritual institutions, instead of championing justice, have too often aligned themselves with power, preaching obedience to corrupt leaders rather than confronting them.

This conviction led me to protest at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) under Pastor Enoch Adeboye, one of Nigeria’s most influential pastors. My protest was not against faith itself, but against the silence of a church that commands millions of followers yet hesitates to confront a government under which Christians are being slaughtered. The pulpit, which should thunder with prophetic calls for justice, too often echoes with cautious neutrality.

By standing with a group of celebrities and youths outside RCCG with placards, I sought to remind Nigerian Christians that faith without courage is dead. If our leaders both political and spiritual will not defend the flock, then we, the people, must raise our voices.

Why Global Christians Must Care

The Nigerian crisis is not just a local affair; it is a frontline in the global struggle for the survival of Christianity. Nigeria is home to one of the largest Christian populations in the world. If Nigeria’s Christians are left defenseless, the consequences will ripple far beyond its borders.

The United States, and particularly the Republican Party under Donald Trump, have previously recognized this danger. In 2018, Trump confronted then-President Buhari at the White House, demanding answers for why Nigerian Christians were being slaughtered. That moment of accountability was significant, but it must not remain an isolated gesture.

Today as we witness a rising interest in the plight of Nigerian Christians, I call upon Trump, the Republican Party, and the wider global Christian community to intensify their efforts in protecting Nigeria’s Christians, for instance ensuring that the Bill raised by Senator Ted Cruz is passed into law. Words are not enough; there must be action.

What Action Looks Like

1. Diplomatic Pressure on Nigeria’s Leaders
   The U.S. and its allies must hold Nigeria’s leaders accountable. The APC government should not continue to enjoy international legitimacy while failing to protect its citizens. Targeted sanctions against officials who enable or ignore mass killings would send a clear message.
2. Recognition of Genocide
   International bodies such as the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and the U.S. State Department should officially recognize the mass killings as genocide. This recognition would trigger stronger international obligations to intervene.
3. Support for Christian Communities
   Beyond words, there must be material support: humanitarian aid for displaced Christian families, funding for rebuilding destroyed communities, and security cooperation that empowers locals to defend themselves.
4. Global Christian Solidarity
   Churches worldwide must not remain silent. From the pulpits of America to the cathedrals of Europe, prayers must turn into advocacy, and sermons into pressure campaigns. Nigerian Christians cannot afford global indifference.

Breaking the Culture of Silence

One of the most dangerous accomplices of this genocide is silence. Silence from governments, silence from churches, silence from international media. Too often, Nigerian Christians are reduced to mere statistics in quarterly reports. Behind every number is a life cut short, a family shattered, a faith tested by fire.

As I argued in Nigeria in Decay, silence is not neutrality; it is complicity. To be silent while a people are exterminated for their faith is to side with the oppressors.

A Call to the Republican Party and Donald Trump

The Republican Party, with its strong evangelical base, has always positioned itself as a defender of Christian values globally. Donald Trump, in particular, has shown a willingness to speak bluntly on this issue. Now is the time for him — and for Republicans seeking office — to articulate a clear foreign policy stance: defend persecuted Christians in Nigeria and across the world.

This is not only a moral duty but also a strategic necessity. A destabilized Nigeria fuels migration crises, global terrorism, and regional instability that affect everyone. Supporting Nigeria’s Christians is not just about faith; it is about safeguarding global peace.

The genocide of Christians in Nigeria persists only because too many people in positions of power choose to look away. But history shows us that when ordinary people rise, when the church remembers its prophetic voice, and when global leaders align words with deeds, even the darkest night can be broken by dawn.

The blood of Nigerian Christians cries out from the ground. May it not be said that the world heard their cries and turned away.