The attack on the church in Kwara was captured on a video livestream. screenshot of video
On November 18, a Fulani Islamist militia group abducted 38 members of Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, from an evening worship service. At least two people were killed in the storming of the church. All 38 people abducted were released five days later, the state governor’s office said.
The attack happened to be captured on YouTube by the church’s livestream. The footage showed several attackers dressed in long garments and armed with AK-47 rifles storming the church as gunshots rang out. At one point, a voice is heard shouting a command in Fulfulde, the Fulani language.
Church secretary Michael Agbabiaka told Nigerian newspaper Punch that the kidnappers had initially demanded 100 million naira per victim (equivalent to more than USD $68,000), After negotiations, Agbabiaka said, the captors reduced the requested ransom to 20 million naira each before cutting off communication.
A government spokesperson said the 38 church members had been freed following negotiations and with no ransom paid. They returned home on Sunday, November 23. By the next evening, a fresh attack on the nearby town of Isapa resulted in the abduction of 17 more people.
Tinubu declares security emergency
Two days later, on November 26, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency in the light of the surge in attacks, ordering the recruitment of thousands more army and police personnel.
“My fellow Nigerians, this is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas. The times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we should all get involved in securing our nation.”
Tinubu referred specifically to the church attack in Kwara, the abduction of more than 300 children from a Catholic school in Niger State, and the abduction of at least 24 girls from a school dormitory in Kebbi State.
“Let me take this moment to commend our security agencies for working together to secure the release of the 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi and the 38 worshippers in Kwara State. We will continue to sustain the efforts to rescue the remaining students of [the] Catholic School in Niger State and other Nigerians still being held hostage.”
Echoes of 2014 Chibok abductions
On November 21, 315 children and teachers were abducted from St Mary’s Catholic school in Papiri, Niger State. It is believed to be the worst mass kidnapping of schoolchildren since 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in Chibok in 2014, an event that gained worldwide attention thanks to the “BringBackOurGirls” social media campaign.
In addition to the Niger State school abduction, 24 schoolgirls were abducted from their dormitory in Maga, Kebbi State, on November 17. The same day, a Catholic priest, Bobbo Paschal, was abducted in Kaduna State. All these states form part of the Middle Belt, an area in the northern half of Nigeria mainly populated by Christians, where Islamist militant groups are increasingly active.
Surge in attacks since Trump’s announcement
Violent attacks on Christians in Nigeria appear to have increased following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat on November 1 to enter Nigeria “to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities” against Christian communities.
The U.S. government re-designated Nigeria a country of particular concern (CPC) for religious freedom on November 3. Though that designation had been accorded by the previous Trump administration in 2020, it was soon after removed by his successor, President Joe Biden.
Christians grateful for U.S. support
“It is a matter of great concern that there has been a spike in the cases of terrorist attacks across the country in recent times, especially since the threat made by President Donald Trump,” commented the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins.
“It seems there are some elements who are making deliberate efforts to throw this nation into chaos.”
Despite the danger, Christian groups in Nigeria have expressed gratitude to the United States for drawing attention to the continued violence.
In a letter to former President Trump, they wrote: “You saw the evidence, you listened to the cries of the persecuted, and you acted.” The letter appealed for continued U.S. support, stating that “swift action is indispensable as Christians in Nigeria continue to face relentless violence from terrorist groups.”
CSI advocates international support through partnership
On November 13, CSI President John Eibner urged U.S. allies to “stop denying the reality of anti-Christian massacres in Nigeria.”
“The U.S. — and the international community — should insist that the Nigerian government investigate links between its security establishment and the Fulani militias carrying out a slow-motion genocide of Christians and hold the complicit accountable,” Eibner wrote.
“President Trump should direct his State Department to partner with the Nigerian authorities, both federal and state, and with local communities, to provide security. As they have in many other parts of the world, the U.S. and its allies can provide directly the support these communities need to defend themselves.”
