In the last couple of weeks, terrorists in Nigeria invaded and kidnapped about 300 people, including nursing mothers and children as young as 2 and 5 from schools, a highway and internally displaced peoples camp in Kaduna, Katsina, and other…
New report highlights most dangerous countries for Christians and churches
The world is becoming increasingly perilous for Christians and churches as violence against members of the faith continues to surge, Open Doors International reported in its new World Watch List. Based on information gathered from October 2022 to September 2023,…
Religious freedom commission criticizes failure to name Nigeria and India as Countries of Particular Concern
The U.S. State Department should have included India and Nigeria in its annual list of countries that fail to protect religious liberty, according to a key religious freedom watchdog. The State Department annually assesses countries based on their levels of…
Between Hamas and Boko Haram
I remember reading, long ago, that tragedy brings out the best in human beings in regard to empathy. But it also brings out bias. This has been obvious over the past weeks as the Israeli-Hamas war has unfolded. Since first…
A former victim of Boko Haram terrorism finds love in America; meanwhile, others remain in captivity
Over the past two months, two reports brought into focus the contrasting fortunes of victims of terror relating to Nigeria. One was the story of Joy Bishara, a former victim of the terrorist group Boko Haram, now living in the…
Yemi Mobolade is ‘mayor for all people,’ not only Christians in Colorado Springs
Yemi Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant, entrepreneur and Christian community leader, made history in May, becoming the first Black man and first non-Republican to be elected mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado’s second largest city, in more than four decades. A political…
Progression or regression: Racism and women
He was tall, dark and handsome. As his ebony skin glistened in the sunlight, he looked like a Nigerian king. John Lawale was introduced to Jesus by the preaching of Josephine Scaggs, a Southern Baptist missionary from Sapulpa, Okla. She…
An interview with a Nigerian orphanage founder in custody battle with a state government
In terms of paying a price for one’s work or commitment, Solomon Musa Tarfa has seen and experienced a lot. Starting off as an evangelical worker for a U.S. faith organization in his native Nigeria — which involved teaching the…
Pastors, politics and the unending controversies about prophecies in Nigeria
Politics and prophesies go together in Nigeria, where a recent presidential election brought out religious figures speaking of divine visions. Weeks ahead of Nigeria’s election, a video of Passion Java, a Zimbawean pastor, made the rounds. In the video, Java…