Religious-Based Violence Skyrockets in 2025

[Webster]

American Family News: Violence 'skyrockets' in 2025

A Christian watchdog group says persecution continues to be a brutal reality for believers in other countries, especially in Nigeria.

7,087 Christians have reportedly been massacred in southern Nigeria this year, and more than 7,800 have been abducted.

Clint Lyons of iReach Global says the persecution has skyrocketed over the past eight months. "Last year, we had probably around 3,100 Christians who were killed for their faith in Nigeria," he notes. "30 Christians a day in Nigeria are being wiped off the face of the earth because of their faith."

The administration currently in power in Nigeria does not seem to care about their plight, but iReach Global is working to support African communities' physical care and spiritual growth. "Eventually, our goal is for them to be able to impact their communities with the love of Christ and even reach their persecutors," Lyons recently told Washington Watch.

Lyons, who recently visited the area, says the brutality is unimaginable. "I met with many of our frontline workers who had just returned from some of these areas that had been attacked recently; they walked into villages where the mass graves were still fresh," he relays.

The Trump administration designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for severe violations of religious freedom in December 2020, but the designation was not renewed by the Biden administration. Congress and advocacy groups are urging the State Department to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC due to continued concerns about religious persecution and violence, particularly against Christians in the country.