Nigerian bishops have told the Pope that no one is safe as violence, killings, and kidnappings continue to target Christians across the country.
During a recent visit to the Vatican, Nigeria’s bishops spoke to the Pope about the situation facing the Church in Nigeria.
More than 70 bishops were in the Eternal City for their ad limina pilgrimage, a required meeting with the Pope for diocesan bishops held about every five years.
Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso, Archbishop of Kaduna, told EWTN that before coming to Rome, the bishops sent reports on their dioceses to the Vatican, and the summary was given to the Pope. He said that beyond the written reports, they discussed the violence, insurgencies, and the difficulties they face as Church leaders on the ground.
Cardinal John Onaiyekan, one of Nigeria’s four cardinals and Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, also met the Pope on March 1 and told the news agency Aleteia that no one is safe in Nigeria today, whether Christian or Muslim. He added that the bishops came to speak for all Nigerians who are suffering and who want to live in peace.
Nigeria has a long history of religious violence, but attacks against Christians have increased in the 21st century. Boko Haram, founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf and opposed to Western influence in favor of an Islamic state in Nigeria, has been a major cause of the violence. Tensions rose in 2009 when Boko Haram launched its insurgency in the northeast, with massacres of Christians increasing.
According to Open Doors, in 2024 Nigeria had the highest number of Christians killed for their faith, with 3,100 killed.
Christians have also been targeted for kidnapping, with 2,830 abducted in 2024. Children have repeatedly been among the victims. In November 2025, more than 300 children and staff from a Catholic school in Niger State were abducted. In 2024 nearly 300 students were abducted in another mass incident in Kaduna State.
In 2021 armed groups abducted students from Greenfield University, killing several captives, while in the same year more than 140 pupils were taken from Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna. In 2014 Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from Chibok, many of whom remain missing.
The scale of the persecution has made Nigeria the country with the highest number of Christians killed for their faith.
