The conditions in Northern Nigeria have deteriorated significantly over the past six months. Attacks have increased dramatically—it feels as though massacres have become a daily occurrence. I recently spoke at a burial for eight people who were killed in a single night. The very next day, another 30 people were murdered in a separate attack. A few days later, 20 more lost their lives. It has become almost impossible to keep up with the scale and frequency of the violence.

Boko Haram and other terrorist groups have grown bolder in both their rhetoric and their actions. A few weeks ago, Boko Haram released a video declaring their intent to drive Christians out of the northern region by force. Another video warned that all Christians must “convert to Islam or be killed.” Attacks by radicalized Fulani groups have also escalated, leaving Christian communities paralyzed by fear. 

147 Christians were slaughtered during Holy Week—34 on Easter Sunday alone—making it one of the deadliest Holy Weeks on record here in Northern Nigeria. This has precipitated the need for a new and important ministry for us at Across Nigeria as we are now serving over 547 widows whose husbands were killed in recent attacks—and the numbers and need are growing rapidly. 

We have worked in Northern Nigeria for more than a decade, and I have never seen conditions this severe.

One thing that has become increasingly........

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