Former Boko Haram captive pleads for help as violence against Christians spreads

Two years ago, Boko Haram kidnapped me. They kept me captive, and I prayed every day to see my family again. By a miracle from God, I was able to escape.

Sadly, most Christians captured by this terrible organization never lived to tell their stories. Unless the West intervenes, kidnappings like this – as well as killings – will increase in my country, and spread throughout the world. African continent And threatening the rest of the world.

Today, as I travel around Nigeria providing relief as part of my work iReach InternationalI see that the violence has increased and spread like wildfire in the center of my country, leaving behind a trail of ashes, mass graves and broken lives.

Cruz clashes with Nigeria over his claims that 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 in religious violence.

This year has seen wave after wave of coordinated attacks in central Nigeria. More than 7,000 Christians were killed. Entire villages – most of them Christian farming communities – have been destroyed. Families are now living in temporary camps, traumatized and unsure whether they will return home in the future.

In early April, multiple coordinated attacks in the Bucos region claimed hundreds of lives within a week. Just one community reported 52 people killed in a single attack, with thousands forced to flee.

Later that month, in an area called Bassa, at least 51 people were killed in a pre-dawn raid. The attackers came silently, setting fire to homes and killing entire families while they slept. In Riom, ambushes and targeted killings continued for months afterward. In one case, a bus full of passengers was stopped and attacked, killing 12 people instantly.

These are not random acts of violence. They are organized and coordinated attempts to erase Christian communities from the region.

The White House responds to the escalating crisis of Christian persecution in Sub-Saharan Africa

As someone who has walked through burned villages and prayed with survivors, I can tell you that the reality is worse than the statistics indicate. I have seen mothers crying next to mass graves. The smell of smoke emanating from the remains of burning churches and schools still clings to my clothes. I’ve also spoken with children who no longer sleep through the night because they fear the next attack will come.

A person reads the Bible on April 25, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Getty Images/AFP)

This is not simply a matter of “clashes” between farmers and herders, as government officials sometimes claim. It is a campaign of terror. It is ethnic and religious cleansing disguised as a land struggle.

However, the Nigerian government continues to downplay the crisis. Failure to provide protectionOr food or medical care for displaced people. Some local leaders are even warning communities against speaking to the media. But silence will not save us.

I have seen mothers crying next to mass graves. The smell of smoke emanating from the remains of burning churches and schools still clings to my clothes.

The Nigerian government has the primary responsibility to protect its people. This must start with an immediate and adequately resourced security deployment to protect vulnerable communities – especially during the planting and harvesting seasons when farmers are most vulnerable. Humanitarian corridors must be opened to deliver food and aid to thousands now living in desperate conditions.

Independent investigations are also essential. Impunity is the oxygen that fuels these killings. The perpetrators must be identified and prosecuted – regardless of their political connections or tribal affiliations.

At the same time, Nigeria’s political class must stop turning our suffering into campaign slogans. I have heard politicians invoke the blood of victims as talking points during election campaigns while refusing to act. This must end. The lives of our people are not a bargaining chip.

The United States and other Western countries cannot look away. They have the moral obligation and diplomatic tools to press Nigeria toward true accountability. I think the United States Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria should reclassify as a country of particular concern due to flagrant violations of religious freedom. This would send a clear signal to my government that the world is watching, and that the killing of Christians in Nigeria will not be ignored.

Survivors and relatives of victims of a suspected Boko Haram attack walk in Baban Jade, Yobe State, Nigeria, Wednesday, September 4, 2024. At least 81 people were killed and several others were still missing after about 150 suspected Boko Haram fighters armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades attacked a Mafa ward, local officials said. (Photo by Udo Marti/AFP via Getty Images)

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In addition, international partners must expand support for independent investigations and humanitarian assistance. I have visited many of these camps. The needs are enormous. In some camps, families survive on one meal a day, drink from muddy puddles, and have no one to treat their wounds. Children go months without education. The international community can help fund the reconstruction of homes and provide psychosocial support to those who have suffered untold losses.

The victims of these attacks are not soldiers or fighters. They are farmers, families, children and the elderly. They want nothing more than to live in peace, tend their fields and worship freely. However, they became the target of a campaign of hatred.

If urgent action is not taken, we risk surveillance Entire Christian communities disappearing from the middle belt of Nigeria. Not only that, but the reign of terror will continue to grow across Africa’s Sahel region and could ultimately threaten global security.

The world’s silence will be remembered as complicity.

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As someone who survived Boko Haram’s terrorism and is now witnessing this unfolding genocide, I appeal to the global community: Don’t look away. The suffering here is real, and it is increasing.

Nigeria is bleeding. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the courage and help of the international community, we can still stop the carnage and begin the long work of rebuilding.