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        <title>Christian Daily International | Nigeria</title>
        <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/nigeria</link>
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            <title>Christian Daily International | Nigeria</title>
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        <copyright>Christian Daily International © 2026</copyright>
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        <lastBuildDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2026 22:24:32 -0400</lastBuildDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Nigerian mother acquitted of blasphemy receives Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/nigerian-mother-acquitted-of-blasphemy-receives-shahbaz-bhatti-freedom-award</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Rhoda Jatau, center, a Nigerian Christian mother acquitted in 2024 of blasphemy-related charges after 19 months in prison, holds the 2026 Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award in Geneva, Switzerland.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Courtesy of First Step Forum ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Rhoda Jatau, center, a Nigerian Christian mother acquitted in 2024 of blasphemy-related charges after 19 months in prison, holds the 2026 Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award in Geneva, Switzerland. Marc Jost, far left, executive director of First Step Forum and a member of Switzerland’s National Council, presented the award. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:39:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A Nigerian Christian mother who spent 19 months in prison on blasphemy-related charges before being acquitted has received the 2026 Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A Nigerian Christian mother who spent 19 months in prison on blasphemy-related charges before being acquitted has received the 2026 Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award.
Rhoda Jatau, a mother of five, accepted the honor presented by the First Step Forum at a ceremony at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland on Friday (Oct. 16). Her prosecution, which began after she allegedly shared a video condemning the mob killing of a Christian student, drew calls for her release from human rights groups and U.N. experts.
The award is presented each year to a person the forum regards as committed to defending freedom of religion or belief. It is named for Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's first Christian federal minister, who was assassinated in March 2011 after opposing his country's blasphemy laws.
Arrest and acquittal
Jatau's case dates to May 2022, when Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Christian student, was killed by a mob in Nigeria following accusations of blasphemy. Jatau was accused of circulating a WhatsApp video that condemned the killing.
Prosecutors charged her with blasphemy along with cybercrime and religious disturbance offenses. According to First Step Forum, she faced up to five years in prison and was frequently denied regular contact with her husband, children and lawyers while in custody.
She was granted bail in December 2023, shortly after a judge refused to dismiss the case against her. Her trial ran for another year before a judge in Bauchi State acquitted her of all charges on Dec. 10, 2024.
"My experience in prison was not an easy one," Jatau said at the ceremony. "For over a year I did not see my children. I could only hear about them."
Her lawyer, Joseph Bata Danboyi, also spoke. "What was at stake was her freedom, and also the precedent," he said. "At least there is now a precedent that there was once a blasphemy case in Bauchi that couldn't be proved."
'Blasphemy laws continue to fuel mob violence'
Marc Jost, executive director of First Step Forum, presented the award. Addressing Jatau, he said: "You simply wanted to be a faithful mother, a neighbor, and a person of conscience. But when darkness demanded silence, your courage spoke volumes."
Jost, who is also a member of Switzerland's National Council, the lower house of parliament, said her case reflected a wider problem in the country. "In Nigeria today, blasphemy laws continue to fuel mob violence, silence peaceful expression, and tear apart the social fabric of a nation," he said.
Blasphemy is an offense under the penal code that applies in Nigeria's northern states, and a number of those states also enforce Islamic criminal codes.
Bhatti's legacy
Eija-Riitta Korhola-Dunderfelt, the forum's chairwoman, said she worked with Bhatti for five years while he served as Pakistan's minister for minorities affairs. She recalled that he pressed for changes to the blasphemy laws despite fatwas and threats against his life.
"Even if I die, the law will remain," she quoted him as telling her, "and it will change the lives of millions."
Korhola-Dunderfelt said Bhatti had told her he asked God for a single grace: that he would die "for the sake of Jesus" rather than from old age or illness.
Peter Bhatti, the slain minister's brother, gave Jatau a copy of "Blood & Water," a new graphic novel about Shahbaz Bhatti's life.
"You are from Nigeria, but in Christ we are brother and sister," he told her. "We want to encourage you in this field to not feel alone, ask for help, and don't give up anytime."
Earlier recipients of the award, according to the forum, include Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi in 2013, Pope Francis in 2014, Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng in 2018, the Leah Foundation of Nigeria in 2019, and Syrian recipients Bishop Shimoun Daniel in 2023 and Valentine Hannan in 2025.
First Step Forum describes itself as a network of ambassadors, lawmakers, journalists, advocates and former prime ministers. Since 2002, it has worked on reconciliation and religious freedom in countries that invite its involvement.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Christian animation film is giving children in Nigeria a new way to encounter and share the gospel]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/christian-animation-film-is-giving-children-in-nigeria-a-new-way-to-encounter-and-share-the-gospel</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/christian-animation-film-is-giving-children-in-nigeria-a-new-way-to-encounter-and-share-the-gospel</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/54/5407.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Light of the World Animation]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ The Salvation Poem Foundation ]]>
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                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ The Salvation Poem Project, which created Light of the World, says the film and its resources are being made available to partners around the world, with the film now available in 32 languages. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2026 15:15:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[In a simple room in Nigeria, children sat on a dirt floor watching the story of Jesus unfold on a screen. The room had cinder-block walls and a metal roof. There was nothing elaborate about the setting. But as the children watched Light of the World, an animation retelling the life of Jesus, something happened that the ministry behind the film says it will not forget.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
In a simple room in Nigeria, children sat on a dirt floor watching the story of Jesus unfold on a screen. The room had cinder-block walls and a metal roof. There was nothing elaborate about the setting. But as the children watched Light of the World, an animation retelling the life of Jesus, something happened that the ministry behind the film says it will not forget.
In a scene, young John, the main character, knelt and led his father in a prayer to begin a relationship with Jesus. Then the children in the room began to kneel too. According to the ministry, 60 children responded to the invitation to follow Jesus during that screening.
The number comes from the ministry's account of the screening, but the scene itself captures what the creators of Light of the World hoped the film could accomplish when they set out to tell the story of Jesus through the eyes of a child.
It was one of four locations where Pastor Monday Edoziem showed Light of the World in Nigeria during the same weekend after receiving access to the film.
Edoziem is a pastor and Executive Director of the Nigeria Children’s Ministers Association, an organization focused on ministry to children across the country. For him, the film offered more than something for children to watch. It provided a way to present the story of Jesus in a format designed to capture a child's attention and imagination.
That is at the heart of Light of the World. The 2025 animated film tells the story of Jesus through the eyes of John, portrayed as a young person who encounters Jesus and becomes one of his followers. The filmmakers deliberately chose this perspective as a way of making the biblical story accessible to a younger audience. 
The film uses traditional 2D animation and follows Jesus from the beginning of his ministry through his crucifixion and resurrection.
The approach gives children a character through whom they can experience the story.
Rather than beginning with a distant historical account, the film places viewers alongside a young John as he encounters Jesus, his disciples and the events surrounding Jesus’ ministry.
That child-centered approach has also shaped the resources developed around the film.
The Salvation Poem Project, which created Light of the World, provides churches with a free seven-week children's ministry curriculum built around scenes from the movie. The material includes teaching plans, videos, Scripture memorization resources, activities and lessons designed to help parents continue conversations with their children at home.
A church can use a scene from the movie as the starting point for a lesson. Parents can continue the discussion at home. Teachers and ministry leaders can use the accompanying material to connect what children have seen on screen with the biblical account.
The ministry says the film and its resources are being made available to partners around the world, with the film now available in 32 languages.
Nigeria has one of the world's largest Christian populations, while children and young people make up a substantial part of its population. Churches and Christian ministries therefore have a large audience of children to serve. But the resources available to those ministries can vary greatly, particularly between large urban churches and smaller community settings.
The setting of Edoziem’s screening is a reminder of that difference.
The children were not sitting in a cinema. They were gathered in a modest room with basic surroundings. Yet the same story presented on a large cinema screen could also be shared in a place with little more than a screen, a projector and a group of children willing to watch.
That accessibility is central to the project's stated purpose.
The film’s official ministry resources include free materials specifically created for churches and children’s ministries, allowing leaders to use the movie alongside lessons and family activities.
And for ministry leaders such as Edoziem, having the resource available without a cost creates another opportunity to take that story into places where children are already gathering.
Light of the World was made with a simple purpose: to give people an opportunity to encounter the story of Jesus.
In Nigeria, one weekend showed what that purpose can look like when the film reaches children not in a theater, but in a simple room, where they watch, listen and, in the words of the ministry's account, get down on the floor and pray.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Africa’s largest Pentecostal church repatriates 500 Nigerians from South Africa amid xenophobic attacks]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/africas-largest-pentecostal-church-repatriates-500-nigerians-from-south-africa</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/africas-largest-pentecostal-church-repatriates-500-nigerians-from-south-africa</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/53/5346.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[RCCG Nigerians repatriated from SA]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Arise TV YT ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Pastor Belemina Obunge (center) chairs the RCCG Task Force for the Reception of Nigerian returnees from South Africa. The church donated $265,854 to support the return of 500 Nigerians from South Africa. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:30:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has begun a humanitarian operation to bring at least 500 Nigerians back home from South Africa.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has begun a humanitarian operation to bring at least 500 Nigerians back home from South Africa. 
One hundred Nigerians arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Sept. 24 after travelling from Johannesburg. They were received by officials from the National Emergency Management Agency, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons and other government agencies.
The returnees underwent profiling at the airport before arrangements were made for their onward movement to their respective states.
The repatriation is being funded by the RCCG after an appeal from the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa concerning Nigerians who wanted to return home.
Pastor Belemina Obunge, chairman of the RCCG Task Force for the Reception of Nigerian returnees from South Africa, said the intervention was approved by RCCG General Overseer Pastor Enoch Adeboye on humanitarian grounds.
Obunge said the Nigerians in South Africa had been documented by the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria and the South African Home Affairs authorities. He also stressed that the exercise was not limited to members of the RCCG.
“Nigerians of different faiths are included,” he said, according to reports on the arrival of the first group. Obunge has also called on state governments to assist with the reintegration of their citizens after they return.
RCCG, headquartered in Ogun State, Nigeria is widely recognized as the largest Pentecostal denomination and movement in Africa by total membership estimated at 9 million baptized congregants spread across 50,000 assemblies in 147 countries.
The church is paying for the air transportation from Johannesburg to Lagos, while government agencies are responsible for receiving the returnees, completing the necessary processing and helping them reach their respective states.
The returnees are being brought home in batches because of the documentation and clearance procedures involved. At least 500 adult Nigerians are expected to benefit from the initiative, although the final number could be higher because of children and infants.
The intervention follows a wider Nigerian government effort to repatriate citizens from South Africa amid renewed concerns over xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks.
Nigeria began an evacuation programme in June after a new wave of attacks and tensions involving foreign nationals in parts of South Africa. By early September, the Federal Government said 1,640 Nigerians had already been brought home. Of these, 1,385 had been fully sponsored by the government, while 255 had returned with support from philanthropic donations. 
Another 202 Nigerians were awaiting final screening by South African authorities at the time.
The RCCG announced on Sept. 4 that it had donated more than $260,000 to support the return of 500 Nigerians from South Africa. The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the money would be used to purchase 500 one-way air tickets for Nigerians seeking to return home.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the contribution, describing it as support for Nigerians facing difficult circumstances in South Africa. The government also said the donation demonstrated how faith-based organizations and public institutions could work together in responding to humanitarian situations.
The RCCG task force has said the church's responsibility covers the air journey between Johannesburg and Lagos. Government authorities will handle reception and onward transportation.
For Nigerians who remain stranded in South Africa and wish to return, the task force has encouraged them to contact Nigerian diplomatic missions in the country so they can be properly documented and considered for assistance.
The repatriation represents another phase of Nigeria’s ongoing effort to assist citizens who have chosen to leave South Africa amid the recent tensions. It also brings private humanitarian funding into an evacuation program that has so far relied on both government resources and contributions from organizations and individuals.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Nigerian church leaders back creation of state police as insecurity persists]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/nigerian-church-leaders-back-creation-of-state-police-as-insecurity-persists</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/nigerian-church-leaders-back-creation-of-state-police-as-insecurity-persists</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/52/5299.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nigeria Spiritual Advisory Council]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Christ Church Port Harcourt ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The position was contained in a communiqué issued after the 10th meeting of the Spiritual Advisory Council of Christ Church in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. The council brings together leaders of the Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2026 03:15:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Leaders of three major Christian denominations in Nigeria have backed the establishment of state police, saying a more localized policing system could help address persistent kidnappings and violent crime across the country.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Leaders of three major Christian denominations in Nigeria have backed the establishment of state police, saying a more localized policing system could help address persistent kidnappings and violent crime across the country.
The position was contained in a communiqué issued after the 10th meeting of the Spiritual Advisory Council of Christ Church in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. The council brings together leaders of the Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. 
The communiqué was signed by Ekpenyong Nyong Akpanika, prelate and moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, who chaired the meeting held on Sept. 5, and Elder Deinabo Tennyson Horsfall, secretary of the council. 
The church leaders said they welcomed the Federal Government's efforts to restructure Nigeria's policing system through a proposed dual framework involving state and federal police commands.
They said the proposed system could produce a more localized and effective policing structure if properly implemented. The council also expressed concern over the continued recurrence of kidnappings and violent crimes despite what it described as recent gains by the government, armed forces and other security agencies. 
The council urged the government and security agencies to urgently address what it called the “seemingly intractable” kidnapping situation and other violent crimes.
The position comes as President Bola Tinubu's administration and the National Assembly push forward with one of Nigeria's most significant proposed changes to its security structure.
In June, the Federal Government said significant progress had been made toward establishing state police following months of consultations involving the presidency, National Assembly and security authorities.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Tinubu's chief of staff, said June 4 that discussions on the framework had begun several months earlier following a directive from the president. He said the process required careful consideration of constitutional and legal issues and could not be implemented hastily. 
Legal backing
The National Assembly subsequently advanced the constitutional process. The Senate passed a bill establishing state police services June 24 after more than two-thirds of senators voted in favor. The proposal would create a dual system consisting of a Federal Police Service and State Police Services. 
Under the proposed framework, state governors would have a role in the appointment of commissioners of police, subject to confirmation by state Houses of Assembly and other safeguards. Governors would also be able to issue lawful written directives of a general policy nature concerning public safety and public order.
The legislation includes provisions intended to prevent state police from being used against political opponents. One provision states that a state commissioner of police could not arrest, detain, investigate or deploy force against a person, political party or group merely for criticizing the government, except in accordance with the law. 
The proposal has attracted support from those who argue that policing should be brought closer to the communities where crimes occur. Supporters say state police could improve local intelligence gathering and allow authorities to respond more quickly to security threats.
But concerns over political interference remain.
Reuters reported in June that critics had warned state police could be misused by governors against political opponents or minorities. Other concerns include differences in funding between states, training standards and coordination between state and federal forces. 
The constitutional process has also undergone changes since the initial votes in the National Assembly.
On July 14, the House of Representatives withdrew an earlier approval of a constitutional amendment bill on state police and began considering a revised executive proposal transmitted by Tinubu. The House passed the new executive bill for second reading after lawmakers said new issues required further review. 
Tinubu had formally transmitted the State Police Bill to the House, describing it as part of his administration's effort to reorganize Nigeria's security architecture and create a constitutional pathway for state police services. 
The administration has meanwhile been preparing for implementation if the constitutional changes are approved.
A Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill began drafting legislation in August. The group, chaired by Gbajabiamila, was tasked with developing the legal and policy framework that would accompany the creation of state police. The group said it was also reviewing memoranda and position papers submitted during a nationwide consultation. 
Gbajabiamila said in August that the proposed framework would have to balance greater local policing powers with national safeguards.
“State police cannot mean 36 state militias,” he said, while also arguing that national standards should not become a way of re-centralizing day-to-day state policing. 
The proposal has received support from other Christian leaders this year.
In June, the Christian Association of Nigeria backed the acceleration of constitutional and legislative measures to establish state police as part of a broader response to insecurity. CAN President Daniel Okoh made the call after a National Church Denominational Leaders Summit in Abuja, where the organization also called for stronger intelligence gathering and greater accountability from security agencies. 
CAN's position followed concerns over killings, kidnappings and attacks affecting communities in different parts of Nigeria. The organization declared three days of national mourning in June for victims of violent attacks and abductions.
The latest call from the Spiritual Advisory Council therefore comes as the debate over state police moves beyond whether the system should exist and toward questions about how it would operate.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Violence and displacement erode Christian presence in northern Nigeria, report says]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/violence-and-displacement-erode-christian-presence-in-northern-nigeria-report-says</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/violence-and-displacement-erode-christian-presence-in-northern-nigeria-report-says</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Olang]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/52/5263.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nigeria displacement]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Open Doors ]]>
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                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ The violence has contributed to one of Africa’s largest internal displacement crises. UNHCR data, updated Aug. 1, record 3,711,314 internally displaced people in Nigeria. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:10:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Rising killings and abductions, prolonged displacement and continuing insecurity are eroding the Christian presence in parts of northern and north-central Nigeria, according to a research brief released by Open Doors on Thursday (Sept. 3).]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Rising killings and abductions, prolonged displacement and continuing insecurity are eroding the Christian presence in parts of northern and north-central Nigeria, according to a research brief released by Open Doors on Thursday (Sept. 3).
The report, “Nigeria at the Crossroads - Is There a Future for Nigeria’s Displaced Church?” outlines two possible futures for the country. Violence and impunity could deepen displacement, or stronger government action backed by sustained international engagement could create conditions for displaced communities to return home.
While Christian communities continue to be severely affected by the violence, attacks are also increasingly affecting Muslims. The brief describes conflicts shaped by religious, ethnic, economic and environmental factors and involving Fulani militant groups, Islamic extremist rebel group Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Much of its analysis draws on data collected by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa. ORFA’s six-year study combines information gathered by researchers and local partners with data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project.
Civilian killings rose sharply during the final three months of 2025. The brief records 1,735 civilian deaths between October and December, compared with 1,148 during the same period in 2024, an increase of 51 percent.
The increase in abductions was even greater. Some 3,415 civilians were abducted between October and December 2025, up from 1,352 during the corresponding period in 2024. This amounted to a 153 percent increase.
The figures do not establish that religious identity was the sole reason for every attack. The motives of armed groups are often mixed, and the religious identity of some victims could not be confirmed.
Christians accounted for a substantially higher number of those killed than Muslims during much of the period examined. Muslim deaths, however, increased between October 2023 and December 2025. Regarding abductions, since the 2024 fiscal year more Muslims than Christians have been kidnapped, according to the report.
The changing pattern partly reflects the expansion of armed groups identified in the research as Fulani militants into areas inhabited by Christian farming communities and by predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, including Hausa communities in northwestern Nigeria.
Between October 2019 and September 2025, the research attributed 18,577 civilian deaths to Fulani militant groups. Of these victims, 12,160 were identified as Christians and 3,368 as Muslims. Boko Haram and ISWAP were linked to 4,941 civilian deaths during the same period.
The researchers distinguish the militants from the wider Fulani community, most of whom are not involved in the violence. They also identify land disputes, competition over natural resources, environmental pressures, livestock routes and criminal activity as factors intersecting with religious and ethnic tensions.
The violence has contributed to one of Africa’s largest internal displacement crises. UNHCR data, updated Aug. 1, record 3,711,314 internally displaced people in Nigeria.
Many displaced families live in poorly resourced camps or with host communities already under economic strain. Repeated attacks and the occupation of abandoned land have made it particularly difficult for displaced residents of Plateau, Benue and southern Kaduna states to return.
The movement of people is also changing the geographical distribution of Christians. Rural Christian communities have declined in parts of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Benue, Plateau, southern Kaduna and Nasarawa states as displaced families move to Maiduguri, Yola, Jos, Makurdi, Abuja and other cities.
Urban churches have received displaced congregations, placing additional pressure on their finances, facilities and pastoral ministries. Many of the displaced families previously depended on farming and have no access to their land or an alternative source of income.
The full extent of damage to church buildings cannot be verified because Nigeria has no central database documenting how many have been destroyed or abandoned. Available evidence nevertheless shows widespread disruption of rural congregations in northern Nigeria.
Abductions and ransom payments
The abduction of pastors and other church leaders has placed another financial burden on churches and families, which are frequently pressured to raise ransom payments. Congregations are also left without leaders when pastors are abducted, displaced or killed.
Women-led households are among those facing the greatest hardship. Many women lost access to their farms and livelihoods after their husbands were killed, abducted or forced to flee. Church and humanitarian programmes have responded with vocational training, small-business assistance, trauma care and informal education.
Badoo, a displaced mother of six featured in the brief, received vocational training and sewing equipment through an Open Doors-supported program in Benue state. She subsequently established a business, moved her family out of an internally displaced persons camp and returned her children to school.
The brief acknowledges several steps taken by the Nigerian government. President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency in November 2025, ordering additional recruitment of armed forces and police. He also directed that police officers assigned to protect prominent individuals be redeployed to areas facing insecurity.
Authorities have made arrests and secured convictions in several terrorism cases. The brief describes these measures as limited in relation to the scale of the violence and says it remains unclear whether they mark the beginning of sustained accountability.
Nigeria also strengthened its legal framework for protecting displaced people by incorporating the African Union’s Kampala Convention into national law. UNHCR welcomed the legislation in March, saying it provided a stronger basis for preventing displacement, protecting affected communities and pursuing lasting solutions.
Other initiatives include a resettlement partnership in Plateau state and efforts to document displaced communities and address the occupation of their land. These programs remain small compared with the number of people requiring protection and assistance.
Open Doors called on the Nigerian government to strengthen security in affected communities, disarm violent groups, investigate attacks and prosecute those responsible. It also urged the government and international partners to increase humanitarian support, involve local faith leaders in coordinating assistance and establish conditions for displaced people to return voluntarily and safely.
The organization appealed to churches in Nigeria and abroad to support affected communities through prayer, humanitarian assistance, trauma care and advocacy.
Open Doors reiterated the appeal of a displaced Christian interviewed for an earlier study: “The global church needs to know that many people are displaced. The global church needs to pray for the people to be able to return.”]]></content:encoded>
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