* Pope Leo
The Pathfinder
Monday November 17, 2025
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Pope Leo XIV has included Nigeria among countries where Christians face persecution.
The others include Bangladesh, Mozambique, Sudan, etc.
The pontiff posted the list on his official X account on Sunday.
Recall that the US President Donald Trump classified Nigeria as a country where Christian Genocide has been ongoing.
Pope Leo expressed his concern over frequent attacks on Christian communities and places of worship.
“I think especially of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and other countries from which we frequently hear of attacks on communities and places of worship. God is a merciful Father who desires peace among all His children!” the Pope wrote.
The Pope’s statement comes amid the decision by the US President Donald Trump, to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) due to reports of religious persecution.
But the Nigerian government has rejected this classification, affirming that the country remains secular.
Reports
In another development attacks by armed herders in Enugu State has left scores of Christian worshippers dead and thousands displaced, according to recent reports by Anglican Church authorities and the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety).
Data from the Anglican Church indicates that 31 lives were lost in Eha-Amufu communities between January and June 2025 alone. Intersociety’s report details 14 attacks on Anglican and Catholic parishes between May 2021 and June 2025, leaving 117 worshippers dead, hundreds of homes destroyed, and entire communities displaced.
The organisation described the attacks as “systematic and faith-targeted,” claiming jihadist militants occupy at least 950 forest locations across the South-East, including 56 in Enugu State.
Intersociety chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi accused political leaders of downplaying the crisis, stating that despite public denials by governors across the region, evidence on the ground confirms ongoing atrocities.
Among the documented attacks:
May 2021: Holy Anglican Church, Okpokwu, Mgbuji – 25 killed.
January 2022: Seven parishes, including St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Ogbete – 40 killed.
Subsequent incidents across St. Barnabas, St. Michael’s, All Angels, and other churches resulted in additional deaths ranging from 1 to 20 per attack.
The report noted that the violence forced eight of nine local parishes to close, and thousands of residents now live as refugees in neighbouring communities. Eyewitnesses reported delayed military response, with soldiers only arriving post-attack to recover corpses. Some youths who assisted victims were allegedly arrested and tortured by state operatives, later released with warnings not to speak to the media.
Intersociety also highlighted a recent November 7, 2025, incident near Nkwo-Ezeagu Market Square, where security agents repelled an attempted abduction along the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Expressway. Witnesses claimed assailants opened fire on two buses before fleeing.
Beyond human casualties, markets, homes, and farmlands were destroyed, creating ghost towns in affected communities. The report urged an international investigation into the killings and called for accountability from state authorities allegedly suppressing information.
The organisation also welcomed the resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness over bias allegations, demanding a complete overhaul of BBC Africa to ensure impartial reporting of atrocities against Christians in Nigeria.
Eha-Amufu remains a flashpoint in the ongoing herders-farmers conflict, with security experts advocating a comprehensive counterterrorism response to address the religiously motivated violence that has expanded from the Middle Belt into the South-East.
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