Top pastors and clergy are now openly condemning what they call a campaign of targeted Christian killings
By M. Kiara
Abuja — One of Nigeria’s largest megachurches staged a rare and highly visible protest on Sunday (Dec. 7) as worshippers at Family Worship Centre (FWC) Abuja arrived in all black, mourning Christians killed in relentless attacks across the Middle Belt.
Placards lifted across the sanctuary read: “Killers walk free, the innocent lie dead,” “Innocent blood fills our land,” and “Killings and kidnappings have become normal.”
It was the strongest church-led outcry since nationwide violence sharply escalated in 2023–2024.
A Turning Point After U.S. CPC Redesignation
Family Worship Centre is said to be one of Abuja’s well-known megachurches and has been known to help shape broader Christian conversations in Nigeria.
Sunday’s protest comes after major international developments:
· The United States formally redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) on October 31 for egregious religious-freedom abuses.
· U.S. lawmakers warned President Tinubu that they will “hold him responsible”if attacks on Christians continue.
· New conversations emerged in Washington about possible sanctions,visa bans, and limits on U.S.-Nigeria military cooperation.
For many Nigerian pastors, the U.S. action was a green light to speak openly about atrocities the government has long dismissed.
‘What Kind of Leadership Negotiates With Bandits?’ – Pastor Omakwu
Lead Pastor Sarah Omakwu delivered a blunt condemnation accusing Nigerian authorities of allowing communities to be overrun by terrorists.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorism and kidnappings that have become daily life in this country,” she said. “What kind of leadership negotiates with bandits? God forbid such leadership.”
She criticized the widening gulf between Nigeria’s political elite and displaced civilians.
“Thousands rot in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps while officials live in affluence,” she said. “Every life matters and nobody has the right to take it.”
Rising violence, rising anger
Nigeria has recently been described as “one of the most dangerous places on Earth to follow Christ,” according to lawmakers serving on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, which held a joint briefing Dec. 2, warning of a “Christian genocide.”
The numbers are stark: Christians in Nigeria are 6.5 times more likely to be killed than followers of other religions. Fulani extremist groups account for 55% of documented Christian deaths between 2019 and 2023 as reported by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA).
Just last week, TruthNigeria confirmed that 48 Christians were killed in Southern Taraba, where residents say both police and soldiers failed to respond to warnings of impending attacks.
“These killings are not random,” a senior church elder told TruthNigeria. “They are targeted, they are coordinated, and the victims are overwhelmingly Christians.”
Church Leaders Finally Speaking After Years of Silence
For nearly a decade, only a handful of isolated voices, including Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Diocese consistently warned about targeted Christian killings while officials labeled them “alarmists.”
But Trump’s CPC redesignation has shifted the landscape.
Since October 31, church figures including Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, several influential Catholic Bishops and now Pastor Sarah Omakwu have openly criticized Abuja’s handling of religious persecution.
Reverend Father Emefiena Ezeani of Nnewi Diocese told TruthNigeria:
“U.S Lawmakers are correct. Government officials in Nigeria are ignoring the killing of Christians by Islamic Jihadists. Some are complicit.”
Voices From the Pews
Activist Randy Peter Akah, who joined the Black Sunday service, said Nigerians are exhausted by official denial.
“If kidnapping was an Olympic sport, Nigeria would win several gold medals,” he said. “Shame on the Nigerian government, they call it banditry when it is terrorism. People cannot survive this anymore.”
Another attendee, activist Precious Oruche, said more churches must step forward.
“These are the kinds of churches we need, churches that speak the truth,” she said. “More churches should replicate this so the international community understands the scale of what is happening.”
The last nationwide church-led outcry of this scale was in February 2020, when the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye took his congregation on a prayer walk to end the spate of insecurity in Nigeria.
Since then, despite worsening violence, major churches largely avoided coordinated demonstrations.
Until now.
“You can feel that a turning point is here,” said Chimdi Ebuka, who spoke to TruthNigeria and welcomed the church’s action. “Pastors kept quiet for too long. But now the violence is too overwhelming to ignore.”
Growing Calls for a National Day of Mourning
Civil-society groups and senior clergy are urging the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and other religious blocs to declare a nationwide day of mourning.
They say such a unified action would send a powerful message to Abuja and to Western governments increasingly alarmed by Nigeria’s trajectory.
“We are not just praying, we are speaking the truth,” a church member said. “The world must hear what is happening here.”
Analysts say whether Black Sunday spreads nationwide may shape how both Nigerian officials and U.S. policymakers respond to a deepening religious-freedom crisis.
M. Kiara reports on news trends and culture from Lagos for TruthNigeria.
