On Sunday (December 7), armed men attacked Christians gathered for worship in southeastern Nigeria, killing the wife of an Anglican priest and another parishioner, and abducting another priest, sources said.
In an early morning attack on St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Ishiokwe, a congregation of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in Lilu community, Ihiala district, Anambra state, the assailants shot dead the wife of a yet-to-be-identified priest, abducted Venerable Obese, and burnt down the church building and residence, local residents said.
Several other church members were also injured in the shooting.
“There was indiscriminate gunfire, injuring many worshipers, and extensive property damage, with vehicles, the church building, and the priest’s residence set ablaze,” resident Rosemary Embri said. “The attack occurred early Sunday morning as believers were preparing for worship.”
A resident, James Okechukwu, confirmed that gunmen entered the church and opened fire, and the state police chief, Ikioe Olutugu, said through a spokesperson that the force had “already stepped up intelligence operations, deployed integrated security teams and increased surveillance across the area. We will spare no resources to ensure those responsible are apprehended and face the full weight of the law.”
liberated schoolchildren
In Niger state in central Nigeria, 100 of the more than 300 children abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village on November 21 were released on Monday (December 8), the Nigerian government announced.
The students, aged between 10 and 17, arrived at the official residence in Niger’s capital, Minna, where they were handed over to the state governor. Neither Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu nor other government officials would explain whether the schoolchildren were freed through negotiations, payment of a ransom, or a security operation. Nigeria is under pressure from the US government to curb violence and kidnappings against Christians.
“My instructions to our security forces remain that they must rescue and safely return all students and other abducted Nigerians across the country,” Tinubu said in a press statement. “We must be accountable to all the victims.”
Information about the rescue was initially withheld from parents and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Dimas Joseph Maufuta, the parent of one of the abducted children, Julius Dimas, told Christian Daily International Morning Star News that the government had not yet notified the family about the release.
“My son is among the children abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Papiri community,” Maufuta said. “However, government officials have not contacted us, parents, or school officials about rescuing some of the children. We hope this is true and look forward to the return of the children as promised by the National Security Adviser.”
It remains unclear who abducted the children from the Papiri boarding school, but residents have been told they suspect an armed group that targets schools and tourists across northern Nigeria and kidnaps them for ransom.
At least 177 children and 12 teachers at the school remain in captivity. About 50 children escaped 24 hours after being abducted.
In response to queries, the school’s principal, Pastor Blessing Amodu, said: “As a matter of urgency, we implore the Nigerian authorities to assist us in finding a way to rescue the children and staff held hostage by these bandits.”
US delegation
Congressman Riley Moore, part of the US delegation that arrived in Nigeria over the weekend, said on the X show on Monday (December 8) that he had discussed concrete steps and actions with Nigerian authorities to destroy “terrorist organizations” in the northeast and “stop the killing of Christians.”
The delegation, which was welcomed by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Malam Nuhu Ribadu, included members of Congress Mario Diaz-Balart, Norma Torres, Scott Franklin and Juan Siscomani.
Ribadu said in a statement that Richard Mills, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, also attended the meeting.
“Discussions focused on counterterrorism cooperation, regional stability, and strengthening the strategic security partnership between Nigeria and the United States,” Ribadu said. “I am optimistic that this initiative will deepen trust, cooperation, and a shared commitment to peace and security.”
The delegation also visited Benue state in central Nigeria, where thousands of Christians have been killed and millions displaced.
The parliamentary mission followed a recent visit by Nigerian officials to Washington after the United States designated Nigeria as a country of special concern for tolerating serious violations of religious freedom.
Describing his meeting with the Nigerian delegation, Moore said the conversation was “open, honest and productive” and focused on counter-terrorism, security assistance and protection of people, regardless of religious beliefs.
Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a Christian, according to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the Most Difficult Countries to Be a Christian. According to WWL, of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith around the world during the reporting period, 3,100 (69 percent) were in Nigeria.
“Countermeasures against anti-Christian violence in this country have already reached maximum levels based on the Global Watch List methodology,” the report said.
The report said that in the north-central region, which has a larger Christian population than the northeast and northwest, Fulani Islamist militias attacked rural villages, killing hundreds of people, especially Christians. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern provinces, which are poorly controlled by the federal government, and Christians and their communities continue to be targeted for attacks, sexual violence, and barricaded killings, the report said. Kidnappings for ransom have increased significantly in recent years.
Violence has spread to southern provinces, and in the northwest a new jihadist terrorist group, Laklawa, has emerged with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, WWL said. Raqlawa is affiliated with Jamaah Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslim (JNIM), an expansionist al-Qaeda rebel group originating from Mali.
Nigeria ranked 7th on the 2025 WWL list of the 50 most difficult countries to be a Christian.
