SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA (ANS) – In Nigeria, Christians live under multiple threats from Islamic State which has moved into Nigeria.
The 91 million Nigerian Christians trust Jesus for protection and survival. Open Doors partners with the local church to strengthen, support, equip, and aid persecuted believers in Nigeria living under threat from Islamic State.
The fall of the ISIS (Islamic State) territorial caliphate in Syria has pushed them to leave the Middle East for Nigeria where they can join local wings of Boko Haram.
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Boko Haram is responsible for more than 34,000 deaths in Nigeria since 2011.
- On May 18, 17 Christians were kidnapped by extremists during a church choir practice. These believers are currently being held for ransom.
- On April 28, Boko Haram killed as many as 25 believers in the Christian community of Kuda.
- Since the beginning of 2019, persecution in Nigeria is on the rise from multiple threats: Boko Haram, Fulani militants and other extremist groups looking to stamp out Christians or make a profit from their abductions.
- These believers need emergency relief, presence ministry, trauma counseling and prayer.
Threats against Christians in Nigeria:
- Christians may live under Sharia law, and face attacks from Islamic terrorist groups like Boko Haram, an ISIS affiliate, and militant Hausa-Fulani Muslim herdsmen.
- These realities lead to uncertainty, death, kidnapping, sexual assault and constant instability, all of which have created a devastating political and humanitarian situation in Nigeria.
- Boko Haram’s attacks have left devastation and trauma in their wake. Open Doors helps run multiple trauma counseling centers in northern Nigeria to deal with the fallout from sexual violence, which often targets women who have very little power to begin with. 100 girls are still missing from the infamous Chibok attacks.
For more than 60 years, Open Doors has worked in the world’s most oppressive regions, empowering and equipping persecuted Christians in more than 60 countries by providing Bibles, training, and programs to help those who have been marginalized because of their beliefs as well as helping to restore those communities that have been targets of persecution.
Open Doors advocates on behalf of those who are persecuted for their Christian faith. For twenty years Open Doors has published the World Watch List, a report on the 50 countries where it is most difficult to live as a Christian.
Since assuming the role of Open Doors USA President and CEO in August 2013, Dr. David Curry has traveled extensively to the field to encourage those living under persecution and support the work of Open Doors. He appears frequently on Fox News and is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. He has also been published or featured in sources such as CBS News, CNN, The Washington Post, Christianity Today, USA Today, The Christian Post, and other news outlets.
Prior to coming to Open Doors, Curry served as CEO and president at Christian organizations that serve homeless and neglected children in several countries, including India and Peru. He provides leadership to Open Doors in its mission to strengthen and equip Christians who live under extreme restrictions, while encouraging these believers to remain strong in their faith.
Curry is the author of four books: First Aid for Enablers, It’s Not How Far You Fall It’s How High You Bounce, God Plays Golf and Change Your World! Curry holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwest University in Seattle and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Faith Evangelical College and Seminary based in Tacoma, Washington. Based in Santa Ana, California, Curry and his wife have two children.
