Abuja: As the world prepares for the celebration of Christ's birth, Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the northern regions, live in constant fear. Attacks on Nigerian Christians, especially during Christmas, have become a grim tradition. In fact, Nigeria has accounted for the majority of the world's Christian martyrs over the past decade. Between 2009 and 2023, over half a million Christians have been killed, and millions more have been displaced.

During key Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter, churches and Christian homes are frequently targeted. Samuel, a Nigerian student in the UK, shared with the media that many churches in Nigeria are now hiring their own security personnel, as they do not trust local law enforcement due to corruption, with some officers even colluding with the attackers.

In Samuel's hometown of Kaduna, several Christians were killed during attacks over the last Christmas and Easter. The highest number of killings occurred during Christmas in the past two years. Despite Christians making up nearly half of Nigeria's population, they face relentless persecution in the predominantly Muslim northern regions. Groups like Boko Haram, the Islamic Fulani militia, and various jihadist factions are responsible for many of these attacks.

While some attempt to downplay the religious motivations behind these attacks, especially during Christmas, the timing and nature of the assaults clearly reflect anti-Christian animus. Western media often frames these attacks as ethnic disputes or conflicts between farmers and herders, often citing climate change, but these explanations ignore the underlying religious hatred.

The ultimate goal behind these attacks is to force Christians out of northern Nigeria and establish a region controlled by Islamic extremists, aiming to turn it into a caliphate. Nigeria has been named a "country of particular concern" by the U.S. State Department in its 2024 report, highlighting the severe religious persecution faced by Christians in the country.