Nigerian woman flee from her home country to stay alive
By Primetime Reports
Nigerian national and mother identified as Damilola Adefemi Salihu has fled her home country after facing severe religious oppression following her conversion from Islam to Christianity. Her decision to change her faith was a personal and deeply considered matter of conscience. However, once her conversion became known within her community, she began experiencing threats, intimidation, sustained hostility and domestic violence .
She added that threats include being asked to convert back to Islam or face severe punishment, disinheritance.
The situation escalated to the point where she feared for her safety and her life, leaving her with no choice but to flee from Nigeria.Her case arises within a broader context of ongoing violence and threats directed at christian communities in Nigeria. Since the the islamist Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, jihadist and militant activity in Nigeria has had a devastating human and social cost:According to human rights reporting, up to 185,000 people have been killed in violence related to Islamist extremist attacks and associated conflict dynamics since 2009, including more than 125,000 Christians.In recent years, some reports indicate that in the first 220 days of 2025 alone, over 7,000 Christians were killed, an average of more than 30 Christian deaths per day.Militant groups and associated armed actors have been linked to the destruction, desecration, or forced closure of an estimated 19,100 churches since 2009—averaging roughly 1,200 churches destroyed each year (about 100 per month, or 3+ per day).Thousands of Christians —including women, children, and pastors—have been abducted by extremist groups. Some figures report over 7,800 Christian abductions in 2025 alone.Millions of Nigerians, many from Christian communities in affected regions, have been forced to flee their homes; tens of thousands of villages and settlements have experienced raids, killings, and forced displacement.These figures reflect the severity of the security crisis in parts of northern and central Nigeria, where extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), along with allied armed factions, have been active and where communities are often left vulnerable.The United States of America has acknowledged the severity of religious freedom violations in Nigeria by designating it as a “Country of Particular Concern” under its International Religious Freedom framework, citing serious violations, including violence against religious communities and attacks on churches. The United States has also provided military assistance and training support to Nigerian security forces to help address insurgency and terrorism.Additionally, members of the United States Congress have proposed legislation aimed at formally naming and designating certain Islamic extremist organizations and their alleged sponsors, as part of broader efforts to combat terrorism and hold accountable those responsible for religiously motivated violence.Despite international attention and security cooperation, individuals—particularly religious converts—remain at risk at the community level, where social and familial pressures can be severe and violent retaliation is a real threat. For converts like Ruth, the risk is immediate and personal, involving community rejection, credible threats of harm, and systemic inability to live openly according to her conscience.Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion—including the right to change one’s religion—is a fundamental human right recognized under international law.
Escalating violence in communities in Nigeria, Including 2026 Kwara state Nigeria church Attack which was livestremed. Also Owo Church attack in (June 5, 2022 ) massacre at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, was one of Nigeria’s deadliest attacks on worshippers. Gunmen opened fire and detonated explosive devices during Pentecost Sunday Mass, killing dozens of people, including children and women. The President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Dr. Felix Omobude, has revealed that about 850 churches have been destroyed, with many people killed and injured through the activities of islamists Boko Haram .
According to the Christian world report, Nigerian Christians face persecution and 1200 churches destroyed .According to its counts, at least 250 Catholic clergy have been attacked in addition to another 350 clergy from other denominations . Christians are killed for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, one was Eunice Olawale who was killed in 2016 .
Eunice Olawale was a Nigerian Christian preacher and deaconess of the Redeemed Christian Church of God who was stabbed to death on July 9, 2016, while evangelizing the streets of Kubwa, Abuja. She was murdered by assailants reportedly opposed to her Christian preaching.
In late 2025, jihadist and militant attacks on Christian villages . Some identified as Yohana Adamu (46)Bala Bude Chawai (57)Yakubu Bala (50)Abubakar Ya’u (30)Ishaya Dauda (56)Monday Nveneh (46)Saviour Emmanuel (12)These individuals were reportedly killed by militants in Kaduna State during attacks on Christian communities in late 2025. abducted 11, including Catholic priest A 2025 analysis reported over 7,000 Christians killed in Nigeria in the early part of that year alone, but many individual names were not recorded.
. Boko Haram and ISWAP recruitment videos indicate that Nigeria is “phase one” of a worldwide caliphate revival.
A Christian girl named Deborah Samuel was stoned to death and burned alive. Her killers were defended by a team of 34 devout Muslim volunteer lawyers who rallied to their cause. They were acquitted—prosecution lawyers who failed to appear. In response to the arrests, Muslim mobs attacked and looted three churches.A Christian healthcare worker named Rhoda Jatau spent 19 months in prison for condemning that murder.A 74-year-old pastor’s wife named Bridget Agbahime was beaten to death by a mob of more than 500 for asking a man to move his ablution water from her shop door. All five suspects were discharged in five months. The magistrate’s ruling: “No case to answer. All suspects are innocent.”A young musician named Yahaya Sharif-Aminu has been in prison more than five years for sharing song lyrics on WhatsApp. His sentence: death by hanging. , including assaults on Nigerian and international targets. networks.
According to a human rights report, in the first 220 days of 2025 alone over 7,000 Christians were killed—an average of about 30+ Christian deaths per day—during jihadist attacks and related violence and attacked or destroyed an estimated 19,100 churches since 2009, averaging roughly 1,200 church attacks per year (about 100 per month, or 3+ per day). These attacks include churches burned, looted, sacked, or forced to close due to violence.Abductions & Displacement has been reported that thousands of Christians have been kidnapped by Islamist militants, with some figures citing around 7,800 Christian abductions in 2025 alone. Millions of Nigerians, many of them Christians from affected regions, have been displaced from their homes due to insecurity and village attacks and are living in Internally displaced persons’
The Surge in Nigerian Migration to Europe Amid Rising Terrorist Violence
Globally, UNHCR reports indicate that 36,934 Nigerians sought asylum in countries including Canada, Italy, and the UK in 2024, with Canada receiving the largest share (13,222 claims). ongoing plight of Nigerians forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in Europe and other parts of the world raises worries .Over the past decade, extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), along with other militant actors, have perpetrated sustained attacks on civilians, critical infrastructure, and local institutions. These attacks have resulted in widespread loss of life, destruction of property, and the displacement of families who now face limited options for safety and survival.
Recent reports highlight the human cost of these security challenges:Between January 2024 and August 2025, nearly 26,000 Nigerians lodged applications for international protection in the European Union, with approximately 72 % being first-time applicants.
The United States Congress has described Nigeria ” as the deadliest place to be a christian” The position was a joint report delivered to the White House by the U.S House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee after months of hearing expert testimony and bipartisan congressional visits to Nigeria .
Damilola is seeking safety, protection, and the opportunity to live peacefully according to her faith without fear of oppression .She respectfully calls upon the international community, human rights organizations, policymakers, and relevant authorities to carefully consider her case and the documented risks faced by religious converts and christians in Nigeria.
