A Reckoning with Reality
This past week, as I have paid more attention to the data coming out of Nigeria, I am aghast at the scale of the atrocities there and how Christian leaders allowed this to get to this scale and normalized the mass murders of indigenous Christians in that country.
The numbers are staggering, almost incomprehensible: 500 killed here, another 280 killed there, another 35 killed last week, another 5 killed yesterday. The killings continue with such regularity that they have become mere statistics, background noise in our newsfeeds, footnotes in reports that few people read and even fewer act upon.
According to various reports and tracking organizations, an average of 35 Christians are being killed daily across Nigeria. Let that sink in for a moment. Thirty-five human beings. Every single day. Fathers, mothers, children, pastors, farmers, teachers—people with dreams, families, and futures—systematically eliminated while the world watches in silence.
In any sane country, losing 35 citizens in a single day would trigger a national emergency. Governments would mobilize every resource. The military would be deployed. International aid would pour in. The nation would grieve collectively and demand action.
But in Nigeria, it has become normal. And that normalization is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all.
The Erosion of Prophetic Voice
Growing up, I remember a different church in Northern Nigeria. The Christian leaders of that era spoke truth to power without fear or favor. They were not careless shepherds who stood idly by while their flocks were slaughtered. They taught us strength, resilience, and the courage to stand firm in our faith. They taught us that turning the other cheek did not mean accepting injustice or allowing evil to flourish unchallenged.
What happened to that powerful Christian church in Nigeria?
Today, while Christians are being killed at will, raped at will, enslaved at will, and while ancestral lands are being taken over and Islamized, too many of our leaders seem preoccupied with entirely different matters. The focus has shifted from shepherding souls and protecting communities to accumulating wealth, acquiring private jets, and building personal empires.
Your ranks are broken while those who want us all dead stand together as one.
This is not mere rhetoric or exaggeration. It is a painful observation of the fractured state of Christian leadership in Nigeria. While Christian communities face existential threats, our leaders remain divided—by denomination, by ethnicity, by personal ambition, by the desire for political favor. Meanwhile, those who seek to eliminate Christian presence in large swaths of Nigeria remain united in purpose and action.
The Abandonment of Faithful Voices
Reverend Dachomo and a handful of other faithful leaders have been crying out about these atrocities for years. They have documented the killings, attended the funerals, comforted the widows and orphans, and pleaded with anyone who would listen to take action.
But where were the rest of us?
Too many Christian leaders have chosen comfort over conviction. They dine with the very people who enable these atrocities, who turn a blind eye to the systematic elimination of Christian communities, who control security apparatus that somehow always arrives too late or not at all when Christians are under attack.
Woe unto you!
This is not harsh judgment but a necessary reckoning. When shepherds abandon their flocks to dine with wolves, they must be called to account. When leaders sanitize trauma and minimize suffering to maintain their access to power and privilege, they must be named and challenged.
Shame unto us for leaving voices like Rev. Dachomo to stand alone while we pursue our own interests and comfort.
The Deadly Debate Over Definitions
Perhaps nothing illustrates our moral bankruptcy more clearly than the ongoing debate about whether what is happening in Nigeria constitutes genocide or “just” mass killings.
Why does it matter?
When Christians are being killed in double-digit numbers daily across Nigeria, when entire communities are being wiped out, when survivors are being enslaved and forcibly converted, when lands are being systematically seized and Islamized—does the technical legal definition really matter to the victims?
This obsession with terminology serves only one purpose: to delay action. It allows us to hide behind academic debates while real people suffer and die. It gives cover to our inaction and soothes our guilty consciences.
“Well, it’s not technically genocide yet, so we don’t need to intervene.”
“The numbers aren’t quite high enough.”
“We need more documentation.”
Is this how Christian blood has become so cheap in Nigeria?
The question answers itself. When we spend more time debating definitions than saving lives, when we require body counts to reach arbitrary thresholds before acting, when we treat the systematic elimination of our brothers and sisters as an academic exercise—yes, Christian blood has indeed become cheap in our estimation.
The Consequences of Complacency
Our complacency and lack of unity have had concrete, devastating consequences.
Nigeria is a country with an approximately even split between Christians and Muslims in its population. Yet in the last election cycle, the country elected a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket—a president and vice president both of the same faith. This would have been unthinkable a generation ago. It represents a fundamental shift in the political landscape and a testament to Christian disorganization and weakness.
Moreover, Nigeria’s defense institutions—the military, police, intelligence services, and security apparatus—have become increasingly dominated by individuals from one religious background. Many of these officials have publicly declared ties and support to Jihadi ideology, yet they remain in positions of power, controlling the very institutions meant to protect all Nigerians.
How did this happen?
It happened because Christian leaders were too busy building their personal kingdoms to build political unity. It happened because we were too divided by denomination and ethnicity to present a united front. It happened because we traded prophetic voice for access to power. It happened because we valued temporary comfort over long-term survival.
A Call to the Christian Youth
I am calling on our Christian youth—especially those of us from the Middle Belt and Core North: This is the fight of our time and for our lives.
It is clear that many of the elders of the faith have mortgaged the future for present comfort. They have made their compromises, secured their positions, and are content to ride out their remaining years in relative peace, even if it means leaving you with nothing.
We cannot and must not accept this.
We must not leave those still standing like Rev. Dachomo and other faithful leaders to fight alone. They have held the line when others retreated. They have spoken truth when others remained silent. They have paid the price in threats, intimidation, and isolation. They deserve our support, our solidarity, and our active participation in the struggle.
And we must not give up.
The situation is dire, yes. The odds may seem insurmountable. The enemy appears stronger, more organized, and more determined. But this is precisely when faith, courage, and determination matter most.
Our ancestors did not pass down the Christian faith through centuries of adversity only for us to surrender it without a fight. The blood of martyrs—ancient and recent—cries out from the ground, demanding that we honor their sacrifice by refusing to bow, refusing to be silent, refusing to give up.
A Word to Business Leaders and Professionals
To the Christian business leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs who have been blessed with success and resources: where is your righteous indignation?
You have been given much—not for your own comfort alone, but to be stewards of blessing to your communities. When your brothers and sisters are being slaughtered, when children are being orphaned, when communities are being destroyed, your silence and inaction is a form of complicity.
Let righteous indignation move you to action. Use your resources, your influence, your networks, and your platforms to bring attention to these atrocities and to support those on the front lines of resistance.
You have the means to make a difference. The question is: do you have the will?
The Biblical Mandate for Action
Some may argue that Christianity calls us to passivity, to turn the other cheek, to accept suffering without resistance. This is a profound misunderstanding of scripture.
Jesus said: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35-36)
He then made clear that what we do for “the least of these” we do for Him—and what we fail to do for them, we fail to do for Him.
Even Christ will judge us for being quiet while so many of our brethren are being mass murdered and enslaved across Northern Nigeria.
We cannot claim to love God while ignoring the suffering of His people. We cannot claim to follow Christ while remaining silent in the face of injustice. We cannot claim the name Christian while doing nothing as Christians are systematically eliminated.
Our duty as Christians is clear: to resist evil, and it will flee—not to flee from evil.
James 4:7 instructs us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Resistance is not optional. It is not a secondary consideration. It is a fundamental requirement of faithful Christian living.
Reclaiming Our Constitutional Rights
Nigeria is a secular state according to its own constitution. This is not a Christian claim or a Western imposition—it is written into the foundational legal document of the Nigerian nation.
It is not a crime to be a Christian in that land.
Yet our silence has allowed a climate to develop where being Christian has become increasingly dangerous, where Christian rights are systematically eroded, where Christian communities exist on sufferance rather than as equal citizens with guaranteed rights.
This must change.
We must organize across all facets of Nigerian society to defend and reclaim our constitutional rights. This means:
- Political organization: Building coalitions, supporting candidates who will defend religious freedom, and holding elected officials accountable.
- Legal advocacy: Challenging discriminatory laws and practices, documenting human rights violations, and pursuing justice through national and international legal mechanisms.
- Economic empowerment: Supporting Christian businesses, creating employment opportunities in Christian communities, and building economic resilience.
- Educational initiatives: Ensuring Christian children have access to quality education that affirms their identity and prepares them for leadership.
- Media and communications: Telling our stories, documenting atrocities, and ensuring that the truth reaches national and international audiences.
- Security cooperation: Supporting community defense initiatives, providing resources for vulnerable communities, and coordinating with security forces where possible.
Unity Over Division
The greatest weapon our enemies have against us is our own division. While we remain fractured by denomination, ethnicity, and personal ambition, those who seek our elimination remain united in their purpose.
This is not the time for theological disputes about which denomination has the correct understanding of baptism or church governance. This is not the time for ethnic rivalries or regional competitions. This is not the time for personality conflicts or jockeying for position.
This is the time for unity.
We must put aside our differences on secondary matters to unite on the primary matter: the survival and flourishing of Christian communities in Nigeria.
This means Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, Orthodox, and every other Christian tradition must stand together. It means Christians from different ethnic groups must recognize their common interest and common enemy. It means setting aside personal ambitions for the greater good.
What This Is Not the Time For
This is not the time for liberalism—if by liberalism we mean a naive belief that appeasement and compromise will protect us. Our enemies have shown repeatedly that they interpret kindness as weakness and compromise as an invitation to demand more.
This is not the time for appeasement. Appeasing those who seek your destruction only ensures your destruction happens at their convenience rather than yours.
This is not the time to be quiet. Silence in the face of evil is complicity with evil. Our silence has been interpreted as consent, our inaction as acceptance.
Your enemy the devil is going to and fro seeking our permanent subjugation.
We must not, we cannot, we will not bow down to Baal.
Practical Steps Forward
So what can we actually do? Here are concrete steps:
1. Support faithful leaders: Rally around leaders like Rev. Dachomo who have consistently spoken truth. Amplify their voices. Provide financial support for their work. Protect them from retaliation.
2. Document and publicize: Create and support organizations that document atrocities, gather evidence, and ensure these crimes don’t disappear from memory or public consciousness.
3. Build networks: Create communication networks across Christian communities to share information, coordinate responses, and provide mutual support.
4. Engage internationally: Reach out to international Christian organizations, human rights groups, and foreign governments. Make the world aware of what is happening.
5. Organize politically: Register to vote. Support candidates who will defend religious freedom. Run for office yourselves. Build political power.
6. Economic solidarity: Support Christian businesses. Create economic networks that provide jobs and opportunities within Christian communities.
7. Provide humanitarian aid: Support displaced Christians. Provide for orphans and widows. Rebuild destroyed communities.
8. Pray and fast: Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons. Organize prayer networks. Fast for breakthrough. Seek God’s intervention.
9. Educate the next generation: Ensure Christian children know their history, understand their rights, and are prepared to defend their faith and communities.
10. Never give up: Persistence is key. This is a long struggle, but we must commit to seeing it through.
A Final Word
Christian lives matter!
This is not a slogan. It is a declaration of fundamental truth. Every Christian life has infinite worth because every human being is made in the image of God. The systematic elimination of Christians in Nigeria is not just a Nigerian problem or an African problem—it is a human problem and a Christian problem.
Christians must organize in unison to roll back the erosion of Christian rights across Nigeria. We must speak with one voice, act with one purpose, and stand with one commitment: that the slaughter will stop, that justice will be served, that Christian communities will not only survive but thrive.
Enough is enough.
The time for excuses has passed. The time for debate has passed. The time for waiting for someone else to act has passed.
The time for action is now.
To the Christian youth of the Middle Belt and Core North: This is your moment. This is your calling. History will judge what you do in this crucial hour.
To the business leaders and professionals: Your resources are needed. Your influence is required. Your action is demanded.
To the faithful leaders who have stood firm: You are not alone. Reinforcements are coming. Hold the line.
To all Christians in Nigeria and beyond: Wake up. Stand up. Speak up. Act.
We will not bow to Baal. We will not accept subjugation. We will not go quietly into the darkness.
The fight for Christian survival and flourishing in Nigeria is the fight of our time. It is a fight we cannot afford to lose—and with God’s help, we will not lose.
The time for action is now. Enough is enough.
What are your thoughts on this crisis? How can Christians around the world support our brothers and sisters in Nigeria? Share your comments below and please share this post to raise awareness.
Discover more from Adebayo Alonge
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
