As Christmas approaches in Nigeria, millions of Christians are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, which is a season traditionally marked by joyful worship, family reunions, feasts, and community gatherings. Unfortunately, this year's celebration seems to carry a heavy weight of mourning, pain, fear, and anxiety because the country is no longer the same for Christians, as many are afraid of attacks during this Christmas season.
Many Nigerian Christians are presently grappling with the pain and uncertainty of loved ones still in captivity due to ongoing violence and kidnappings across the country. Terrorists on Sunday, the 14th day of December, killed four and abducted more than 20 worshipers after attacking the First Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Ayetoro Kiri, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State. This is the latest in the spate of church attacks and kidnappings of worshipers in Nigeria at the time of writing this article.
Nigeria continues to face persistent and deadly attacks against Christian communities from militant and bandit groups, including Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), armed Fulani militants, and Lakurawa Bandits. These groups routinely target villages, schools, families, and congregations, often abducting Christians and holding them in camps or illegal captivity. Unfortunately, no one can estimate the number of Christians killed and the number kidnapped this year because many of the killings and kidnappings are not reported, especially those that occur in remote communities.
For many Christians living in vulnerable regions, the Christmas season's promise of celebration is clouded by concerns for safety during the Christmas worship and celebration. Statements from Christian leaders have underscored fears that heightened movement and gatherings could make congregations and families more vulnerable to attack. Some have called on the law enforcement agencies to ensure visible and decisive protection measures during the holidays and beyond. Some groups in Nigeria have termed what is happening as genocide, while some other groups and the government think that there is no genocide.
At the center of the controversy is the claim by some church leaders and activists that Christians in Nigeria are being systematically targeted in what they describe as genocide. In November 2025, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) publicly declared that Christians across numerous states have been "targeted, killed, raped, and displaced." The PFN cited mass killings, including during Christmas and other holidays, as evidence of a sustained campaign against Christian communities and called on the government to act and international partners to intervene.
Supporters of this view argue that large-scale violence directed at Christian villages, churches, and families, such as documented massacres in Plateau and Benue States, signals more than random insecurity, and that these attacks often coincide with religious holidays when Christians gather in large numbers. For many victims and advocates, Christmas has become a reminder not only of faith but also of vulnerability.
How will thousands of Christians from Benue, Kaduna, Plateau, and other northern states in Nigeria, who were chased away from their ancestral homes by terrorists and bandits, celebrate this year's Christmas in a strange land? Some of them fled into cities and towns with just a wrapper on their chest, no house, no food, no livelihood, and no one to help them. Will these refugees find joy in this season of joy?
These are the realities in Nigeria; the thoughts of children, parents, siblings, and church leaders either killed or in captivity will inevitably shape the emotional and spiritual landscape for many Nigerian Christians this Christmas. This Christmas will be a time of deep prayer and remembrance, rather than a celebration. Global Christians should include prayers for captives and victims of persecution in Nigeria in their Advent and Christmas services
The Federal Government of Nigeria, including President Bola Tinubu, has repeatedly rejected the genocide label. The government maintains that the current insecurity is driven by criminality, economic factors, and terrorism, not a deliberate campaign to exterminate any religious group. Authorities emphasize that extremist groups and bandits attack all communities, Christian and Muslim alike, and insist the root causes are complex, including competition over land, local conflicts, and poverty.
Similarly, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has challenged the characterization of violence as genocide. The NSCIA argues that portraying the situation in religious terms is misleading and risks deepening tensions, calling for a focus on security solutions that protect all Nigerians regardless of faith.
While church leaders like those of the PFN continue to press for urgent protection, other Christian voices, including some bishops, caution against inflaming interreligious tensions. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has described the level of violence as alarming but urged discourse that fosters peace rather than division. These leaders recognize the suffering experienced by many communities while also acknowledging Nigeria's fragile social and religious balance.
Globally, the debate has attracted attention. Some international advocates and governments have echoed concerns about severe persecution of Christians in Nigeria, while human rights observers emphasize that the violence in Nigeria is a complex mix of terrorism, banditry, ethnicity, and land disputes, not exclusively or uniformly religiously motivated. This mixed international perspective reflects the difficulty in applying legal categories like "genocide" to ongoing conflicts with multiple causes and actors.
For many Nigerians, Christian and non-Christian alike, Christmas remains an important religious and cultural festival. However, the broader context of insecurity has intensified discussions around how best to protect citizens, address the root causes of violence, and ensure that celebrations of peace and goodwill do not come at the expense of lives and safety. The ongoing debate over terms like "genocide" reflects deeper frustrations with unresolved violence, calls for justice, and the urgent need for meaningful solutions that uphold the dignity and security of all Nigerians.
Last week, the Nigerian government announced that they had rescued 100 children who were abducted from a Catholic boarding school last month and promised to secure the release of over 200 others and their 12 teachers who remain in captivity. How will Christmas be for the parents of these children and these children with other Christians in captivity? "How can they sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" (Psalm 137:4). They will only sit and weep when they remember their loved ones at home, and their parents will do the same when they prepare food for Christmas and remember their children in captivity.
There should be community response and solidarity amid fears and uncertainty. Every Christian in his or her small way should try to reach out to these victims in a practical and spiritual solidarity during this season of joy. Afri-Mission & Evangelism Network, a faith‑based humanitarian and missions organization, is presently compiling names of displaced Christian families that fled into the Nyanya, Karu, Jikwoyi, Kurudu, Orozo, and Karshi communities in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria to extend an arm of practical solidarity to them in this season of joy. Let us be our brother's keeper in a time like this.
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. His calling is to take the gospel to where no one has either preached or heard about Jesus. He is the author of the book Mystery of the Cross Revealed.
