Islamist attacks have widowed more than 10,000 of our Christian sisters in northern Nigeria in the past 20 years.
At VOM, we strive to minister to both their tangible and spiritual needs. However, their critical, daily needs are many times greater than what we and other organisations working in the area can provide.
Every six months, 100 Christian widows from villages in northern Nigeria are invited to a secure region in southern Nigeria, where highly trained staff provide spiritual and emotional counselling to help them recover from the trauma of persecution. Most of the women lost their husbands in Islamist attacks.
Regina’s husband, Danbaki, was a Nigerian missionary who movedhis family to a remote area in the northwestern part of the country to preach the Gospel. On 14 June 2022, Islamic militants attacked their village and murdered a dozen people. Regina and her family were captured as they tried to run away. When the militants questioned Danbaki, he told them that he was a missionary, even though he knew they might kill him for his Christian work. As he pleaded for mercy and committed himself to God, the Islamists murdered him in front of Regina. Then they beat her and her 2-year-old son, Joshua, whom she was carrying on her back. Although they survived, Regina has been grieving the loss of her husband ever since his murder. She has three children, the oldest of which is 10. “Anytime I remember, it is so painful,” Regina said. “Even when you forgive, it is not easy to forget. God is still working on my heart.”
Lydia was selling tomatoes along the road when militant Fulani Muslims raided her village. Hearing gunshots, she fled into the bush, leaving behind her youngest child in the confusion. A pastor later found Lydia’s son and returned him safely to his mother. But when Lydia returned to her village the next day, she found her husband’s mutilated, lifeless body and the rubble of her burned home. Lydia has five children, ranging in age from 3 to 15. “When I came [to the secure region], I saw life in a new way and I learned how to forgive. When I understood more about the Bible, I started to understand love and forgiveness. I started to forgive.”
Boko Haram attacked Ruth’s village, Gowza, in 2013, killing several hundred people and burning many homes and buildings, including her church. She said the militants were angry because Muslims in Gowza had been turning to faith in Christ. Ruth’s family — including six children ranging in age from 2 to 16 — survived the attack and then walked for 17 days to reach safety in Cameroon. But her husband, Luka, was never the same after the ordeal, and Ruth believes lingering effects of the attack ultimately led to his death in 2021. As Ruth has learned biblical approaches to forgiveness and seen the change in other women in the programme, she has been able to let go of her own pain. “I never thought I would ever forgive Boko Haram, but I did. I have not only forgiven them, but I love them.”
In our February magazine, you will find many more short stories of what Nigerian women have faced living in a persecution country, and how they remain hopeful and faithful in the faith. If you have not downloaded or received our e-magazine this month, it is still available at www.persecutionsa.org/newsletter
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