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

I was kidnapped by Boko Haram two years ago. They took me captive and I prayed every day to see my family again. Thanks to a miracle of God, I managed to escape.

Unfortunately, most of the Christians who fell prey to this terrible organization never live to tell their stories. And unless the West intervenes, kidnappings and murders like mine will only increase in my country, spread across the African continent, and threaten the rest of the world.

Today, as I travel in Nigeria, I provide assistance as part of my work. iReach GlobalI see the violence growing bigger, spreading like wildfire in the middle of my country, leaving trails of ashes, mass graves and shattered lives in its wake.

CRUZ CLAPS WITH NIGERIA DUE TO HIS CLAIMS 50,000 CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED DUE TO RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE SINCE 2009

There has been a succession of coordinated attacks in Central Nigeria this year. More than 7,000 Christians were killed. Entire villages, mostly Christian farming communities, were razed to the ground. Families are now living in makeshift camps, traumatized and unsure of whether they will return home.

Multiple coordinated attacks in the Bokkos region in early April left hundreds dead within a week. One community alone reported 52 people killed in a single attack, with thousands forced to flee.

Later that month, at least 51 people were massacred in a pre-dawn raid in the region called Bassa. The attackers arrived silently, setting fire to houses and killing families while they slept. Ambushes and targeted killings continued for months in Riyom. In one case, a bus full of passengers was stopped and attacked; 12 people died at the scene.

These are not random acts of violence. These are systematic and coordinated attempts to erase Christian communities in the region.

WHITE HOUSE reacts to 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 much worse than the statistics show. I saw mothers crying at the mass graves. The smell of smoke from the burning ruins of churches and schools still clings to my clothes. I also talked to children who could no longer sleep at night because they were afraid the next attack would come to them.

This is not just a matter of “conflicts” between farmers and herders, as government officials sometimes claim. This is a terror campaign. This is ethnic and religious cleansing disguised as land conflict.

Yet the Nigerian government continues to downplay the crisis, failing to provide protection, food or medical care to those displaced. Some local leaders are even warning communities not to speak to the media. But silence will not save us.

I saw mothers crying at the mass graves. The smell of smoke from the burning ruins of churches and schools still clings to my clothes.

The Nigerian government has the primary responsibility to protect its people. This must start with immediate and adequately resourced security deployments to protect vulnerable communities, especially during the planting and harvest seasons when farmers are most exposed. Humanitarian corridors must be opened to deliver food and aid to thousands of people currently living in desperate conditions.

Independent investigations are also important. Impunity is the oxygen that fuels these murders. Regardless of their political or tribal affiliations, perpetrators must be identified and prosecuted.

At the same time, Nigeria’s political class must stop turning our sufferings into campaign slogans. I have heard politicians use the blood of victims as a talking point while refusing to take action during election campaigns. This must end. The lives of our people are not bargaining chips.

The United States and other Western countries cannot look away. They have both the moral obligation and the diplomatic tools to push Nigeria towards true accountability. I believe that the U.S. State Department should reinstate Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern due to serious violations of religious freedoms. This will send a clear signal to my government that the world is watching and the killing of Christians in Nigeria will not be ignored.

Boko Haram attack survivors and relatives of the victims walk in Babban Gide, Yobe State, Nigeria, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. At least 81 people were killed and many others were missing after about 150 suspected Boko Haram militants armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Mafa ward, local officials said. (Photo: Audu Marte / AFP via Getty Images))

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Additionally, international partners should expand support for independent investigations and humanitarian assistance. I have visited many of these camps; The needs are great. In some camps, families survive on one meal a day, drinking from muddy puddles, and with no one to treat their wounds. Children cannot go to school for months. The international community can help provide funds to rebuild homes and provide psychosocial support to those who have suffered untold losses.

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

Unless action is taken urgently, we risk the extinction of entire Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Not only that, the reign of terror will continue to grow in Africa’s Sahel region and could ultimately threaten global security.

And the world’s silence will be remembered as complicity.

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As a survivor of Boko Haram terrorism and now witness to this unfolding genocide, I appeal to the global community: Don’t look away. The suffering here is real and growing.

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