The horror of persecution and being driven away to live in a makeshift tent city in Nigeria

“There was nowhere to run to. Even if you ran, you’ll surely run into them. I ran and fell into a ditch with a lot of leaves that hid me well. Their flashlights couldn’t see me and that was how my life was spared.”

With these words, Abraham recalls the moment he managed to evade a devastating attack by Fulani militants on his home village of Tse Ancha—located in Benue State in central Nigeria—that killed eight people, injured seven and displaced a whole community. Prior to it happening, news had reached Tse Ancha of militant attacks in the surrounding region. “We never thought our [village] would be next,”

Abraham says. But then came an ominous warning. “The attackers sent a message notifying us about the attack.”

“We all became worried,” he continues. “They sent a message saying they would ‘claim our peace’. We did not have any form of defense to protect us from them. They replied saying they didn’t care if we did or not, they would still come.” Most of the women and children in the village, including Abraham’s wife and three children, were then sent away from the village, while the men remained.

At around midnight, on April 27, 2021, the believers in the community heard gunshots. “The first people who fled their homes were shot and killed,” Abraham recalls. His brother, an evangelist named David, was among them. “They tried opening his door, but discovered it was locked from the inside, so they broke the door. My brother stood up to support the door from the inside; the killers shot him through the door. He came outside then they shot him in the head.

“They attached their flashlights to their guns. Once they pointed it at you and identified you as a human being, they immediately shot you.” The attack continued into the middle of the night. As soon as it was safe, Abraham and others from his village fled, joining up with their families who were already on the run.‘Their agenda is to Islamize all of us’

It was on arrival at Ichwa, a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), that Abraham and others who survived, discovered more about what drove the horrific attack on their village—and what’s keeping them from returning. At its heart is an expansionist ideology that has ramifications for the wider sub-Saharan region.

“When we first came to this camp, we were told that our attackers want to forcefully take over our land,” he says. “Their agenda is to Islamize us. That is the main reason we are being killed. Until we accept their agenda, they swear to kill every last one of us.

“You know, this our land, Benue, is a good land, blessed by God,” says Abraham, gesturing to the surrounding landscape. He comes from the Tiv tribe, who are predominantly subsistence farmers. “A fertile land with very fertile and good soil, and our attackers know that, in this country, our land is widely known as the best for farming. We are also known to be lovers of God.

“When they are done attacking us, they plan to take over our land because it will easily grow food for their consumption and has enough water for their drinking. They like our land and want to forcefully take it from us because we have refused to be Muslims. And they know that Tiv people are people who fear God very well and we have strong faith. They said they will finish us by killing us before they proceed to do the same in other parts of the country.
“They want to capture Nigeria and capture other parts of Africa according to their agenda. They have started by capturing the Christian parts.”

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A domino effect of displacement

Abraham’s story is not unusual. It’s echoed across northern Nigeria and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, as Islamic militants capitalise on regional instability to expand their influence. In 2023, some 90% of the estimated 5,000 Christians killed for their faith worldwide were from sub-Saharan Africa, with the highest number from Nigeria (4,118). Meanwhile, around 113,000 believers in the region were displaced from their homes, the majority again from Nigeria (around 100,000).

When believers are driven from their homes, other things are driven away with it—including dreams and ambitions. “I was [in school],” says Abraham. “I was qualified to be admitted into any polytechnic or university. But due to the attack, I couldn’t further my education. I was farming to pay my tuition fees but, because the attack happened, I couldn’t continue.”

A similar threat faces Abraham’s three children. “My children have been unable to go to school because I no longer farm,” he says. “We Tiv people value our farms because that is where we get our means of livelihood and pay our children’s tuition fees. Being in this camp, we have been greatly limited. The available jobs here like welding or sewing aren’t really our forté. We are mainly farmers who farm and sell crops like rice and yams. But we have been unable to farm from the beginning of a year to its end because we don’t own any farms here and lack equipment. We’ve been in this camp searching for food to eat.”

Displacement has a domino effect. Alongside the impact on education and livelihood, there’s the loss of possessions, the destabilization of families, communities and churches. The land taken has given space for militant groups to expand. Then there are the emotional and spiritual effects, like trauma, grief and questions about faith, and the impact it has on the church’s presence in the region, both in the short and long term.Wife floored by hunger
For Abraham, the pressing concern is daily survival. “Four days ago, we had no food,” he says. “When the hunger became too much to bear, I went out to help on a sweet potato plantation. When I returned, I [returned to see] my wife on the floor because she was extremely hungry. She even fell sick and only started sitting up yesterday.

“I have been struggling to remain alive. Life in the camp is very difficult, as we don’t have any work to do. If we continue this way, we will be forced to move to any place not being attacked. When we don’t receive food to eat from people or organizations, we go out in search of menial jobs and use the money we are paid to buy food and other supplies.

The struggle for survival is exacerbated by the impact living in a displacement camp has on children. “Life has been very difficult, and we suffer with our children; they have nothing to do, they have been very rebellious,” says Abraham. Across all similar IDP camps, this is a massive problem, reinforcing the domino effect of displacement.

And this is all has an impact on Abraham’s faith. While he’s seen God’s provision in answer to prayer, often the suffering only seems to grow more acute—for him and for those around him. Doubts and questions emerge. Where is God when everything points away from Him? It’s a question that has haunted every Christian since the beginning of time, and one that is all the more acute for believers like Abraham who are hunted and chased because of their faith in Jesus.

“When we came here, we were expecting that we will be given food and God will be with us,” Abraham says. “When suffering began, we started praying for God’s help and then people started coming to our aid with items to help.”

But the periods between the arrival or relief are getting longer and longer. “Our sufferings have increased and most people have been leaving to seek ways to help themselves [despite continued danger], to get food and share with as many others as they can. My prayer is that nothing is too hard for God.

“We suffer very much in this camp and always pray God sends angels to our rescue. Some of us have to toil very hard before we can get [even] small portions of food to eat and survive the day. There’s almost nothing around this camp for us except bush animals, which we hunt for meat. Sometimes we hunt and sell the animals we get and make do with the proceeds. Hunger can make you not understand how life works, and when your child cries of hunger you will wonder what the essence of your life is as a parent, and wish you could beg those attackers to stop.”‘God will surely deliver me’
As Abraham talks about his faith, and how it’s been impacted by this suffering, there are echoes of Job. There is honesty and wrestling, but also faith that God is present and will come through for him and his family. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth,” Job says in Job 19:25.

“Sometimes, I feel like I can talk to God, but when the suffering becomes much, I find it very difficult to talk to Him,” he says. “However, whenever I look at the little I have, even the water in my room, I thank Him. But when I am weak at heart, I feel tired of life. I’ll say, ‘God owns everything, He will help us and deliver us going forward.’

“Tiv people are not people who beg for food. We cultivate our crops and provide food for ourselves. We also give some out to others, but now that life is difficult, we can’t do that. I don’t know how God plans to help us, but my prayer is that God should touch our attackers so that we can return to our homes and continue living our normal lives because days are running out.

“We are here as if our hands are tied. I keep praying to God for provision and that He should not forget us here. He is in charge of everyone, those who were killed and we who are still alive. Let Him give us food to eat to encourage us to remain alive, because life is tough here. We will worship God because He has preserved our lives … I still have God and He is still on the throne. He will surely deliver me.”Your support brings joy and encouragement
While the Nigerian government has provided some help, it’s not enough to feed everyone. This is made worse by the corruption sometimes involved in the distribution of food. “Some of our caretakers are criminals,” Abraham explains. “They steal from the items brought for our relief. They sell the items for their benefit. Some of them wish the items were more so that they can steal more; others use our predicament to receive money and never aid us.”

Thankfully, Open Doors local partners have stepped in to help meet some of the urgent needs of those in displacement camps like Ichwa. The impact this work has had on Abraham and so many others, both practically and spiritually, is enormous.

“When I told them [the camp] that you were coming to pay us a visit, they were very elated to receive you because of the help that you have been giving us,” he says. “You help us very well and it’s not easy to give a bag of corn, rice, garri [a type of flour] and oil. They were very happy that you guys called me again. Your past outreach really helped us. We didn’t buy foodstuff for like three months after your last outreach. Families with many members ate the food for about two months.

“The structures here and difficulties are really bad, but once we see you, we become joyous and excited. You always ask us if we are okay and what our problems are. That alone makes us very happy and know that God is helping us.

“If we didn’t receive those food items, life would have been very hard but, as we received them, we were greatly helped. We were really helped and the pressure to go out in search of food was reduced because some of us go out in search of food but get hit by vehicles. The relief really helped us and relieved us.

“The food items being given to us show us that Christians all over the world care about us and remember us. That makes us very happy. This organization [Open Doors] is helping not only me but the whole world and this gladdens my heart. This organization is helping thousands of people in Nigeria, not just me.”

A plea for prayers and support

“Brothers and sisters, I appeal to you all that you help us by praying for us and these attacks. Our major problem right now is for God to touch the minds of our killers and also reduce our sufferings. We have been passing through a lot. We will love to return to our homes. I’m seeing that we are not safe where we are. Please pray for us because of this situation we are presently in.

“We are appealing to Christians all over the world to look upon our sufferings and come to our rescue. Our sufferings are much.”

Will you support persecuted Christians in Africa by sending a gift today?

Every PHP 1,200 could provide emergency shelter to a Christian driven from their home.

GIVE TODAY

The horror of persecution and being driven away to live in a makeshift tent city in Nigeria

Will you support persecuted Christians in Africa by sending a gift today?

A domino effect of displacement

A plea for prayers and support

Will you support persecuted Christians in Africa by sending a gift today?

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