Gunmen on Sunday attacked Christians in southeast Nigeria as they were gathering for worship, killing an Anglican priest’s wife and one other church member and abducting one other priest, sources said.
In the early morning assault on St. Andrews Anglican Church in Isiokwe, a Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) congregation of the Lilu community of Ihiala County, Anambra state, the assailants shot and killed the as yet unidentified wife of the priest, abducted the Rev. Venerable Obies and burned down the church constructing and houses, local residents said.
Several other church members were wounded within the shooting, they said.
“There was indiscriminate shooting, many worshippers sustained injuries, and there was also extensive property damage, including the burning of vehicles, the church constructing and the priest’s residence,” said resident Rosemary Emabri. “The attack occurred within the early hours of Sunday as congregants prepared for worship.”
Resident James Okechukwu confirmed that the gunmen invaded the church and commenced shooting, and state Commissioner of Police Ikioye Orutugu said through a spokesman that the force has “already intensified intelligence-driven operations, deployed the Joint Security Team and strengthened surveillance across the world. No resource shall be spared in ensuring that those responsible are apprehended and made to face the total weight of the law.”
Schoolchildren Released
In central Nigeria’s Niger state, 100 of the greater than 300 schoolchildren abducted on Nov. 21 from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village were released on Monday (Dec. 8), the Nigerian government announced.
The students, ages 10 to 17, arrived at the federal government house in Minna, capital of Niger, and were handed over to the state governor. Neither Nigerian President Bola Tinubu or other government officials explained whether the schoolchildren were freed through negotiations, ransom payment or a security operation. Nigeria has come under pressure from the U.S. administration to curb the violence against and kidnapping of Christians.
“My directive to our security forces stays that every one the scholars and other abducted Nigerians across the country should be rescued and brought back home safely,” Tinubu said in a press statement. “We must account for all of the victims.”
Information in regards to the rescue was initially not forthcoming to oldsters and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Dimas Joseph Mauhuta, a parent to one among the abducted children, Julius Dimas, told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that the federal government had yet to notify the family in regards to the releases.
“My son is amongst the youngsters abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri community,” Mauhuta said. “However, government officials haven’t contacted us, the parents nor the varsity authority in regards to the said rescue of some the youngsters. We hoping that is true and looking out forward to the return of our youngsters as promised by the national security adviser.”
It remained unclear who abducted the youngsters from the boarding school in Papiri, but residents reportedly suspected armed gangs that concentrate on schools and travelers for kidnapping ransoms across Nigeria’s northern areas.
At least 177 children and 12 teachers from the varsity remain in captivity. About 50 of the schoolchildren escaped 24 hours after they were kidnapped.
“I’m pleading with the Nigerian government authorities to as a matter of urgency, to please help us to look for methods on methods to rescue our youngsters and staff who’re being held hostage by these bandits,” said the Rev. Blessing Amodu, head teacher of the varsity, in response to inquiries.
U.S. Delegation
U.S. Congressman Riley Moore, a part of U.S. delegation that arrived in Nigeria over the weekend, said on X on Monday (Dec. 8) that concrete steps and actions had been discussed with Nigerian officials that might destroy “terrorist organizations” within the northeast and “stop the killing of Christians.”
The delegation, received by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, included congressional members Mario Díaz-Balart, Norma Torres, Scott Franklin and Juan Ciscomani.
Ribadu said in an announcement that U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills also attended meetings.
“Discussions focused on counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability, and strengthening Nigeria-U.S. strategic security partnership,” Ribadu said. “I’m optimistic this engagement will deepen trust, collaboration, and shared commitment to peace and security.”
The delegation also visited Benue state in central Nigeria, where hundreds of Christians have been killed and hundreds of thousands of others displaced.
The congressional mission got here on the heels of a recent visit to Washington by Nigerian officials following U.S. designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for tolerating severe violations of non secular freedom.
Moore said of his meeting with the Nigerian delegation that the conversations were “frank, honest and productive” and centered on problems with counterterrorism, security support and the protection of individuals regardless of non secular belief.
Nigeria remained amongst essentially the most dangerous places on earth for Christians, based on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the countries where it’s most difficult to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for his or her faith worldwide in the course of the reporting period, 3,100 (69 percent) were in Nigeria, based on the WWL.
“The measure of anti-Christian violence within the country is already at the utmost possible under World Watch List methodology,” the report stated.
In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they’re within the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many lots of, Christians above all, based on the report. Jihadist groups akin to Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), amongst others, are also lively within the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities proceed to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, based on the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent times.
The violence has spread to southern states, and a latest jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged within the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.
Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2025 WWL list of the 50 countries where it’s most difficult to be a Christian.
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