by Gianni Valente
Rome – In 2025, Nigeria was the country with the highest number of Catholic missionaries and pastoral workers killed. It is also the same country where the Catholic community has long been affected by the scourge of kidnappings for extortion.
Fides Agency interviewed Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization , about the violence and suffering affecting Nigerian Christians.
Fortunatus Nwachukwu was born in Nigha, in the southern part of what was then the British protectorate of Nigeria . A member of the Igbo people, he is the third of twelve siblings. Two of his younger sisters died during the Biafran War .
As a son of the Nigerian Church, how do you view the data of pastoral workers killed in Nigeria in 2025?
FORTUNATUS NWACHUKWU: All of this is a source of profound sadness. And also a bit of shame. Because Nigeria is one of the countries with the most religious population in the world: a nation of believers, Christians and Muslims. We all claim to be people of peace. Our Muslim friends also constantly reiterate that Islam is the religion of peace. And in the face of certain events and situations, I would like to see our Muslim friends denounce and reject the use of their religion to commit acts of violence. We must all reject any justification for using religion to perpetrate violent acts, even to the point of taking people’s lives.
Is there any aspect of these stories of suffering of Nigerian Christians that has particularly affected you?
NWACHUKWU: The people affected do not want to be heroes; they are not individuals who deliberately expose themselves to special risks. Violence reaches them in their daily lives, while they are busy doing what they are supposed to be doing: seminarians living in seminaries, students kidnapped while at school. And those who should be defending and protecting them do nothing.
Are there specific responsibilities for this spread of violence? –
NWACHUKWU: The government should be the first to feel shame, as Nigerians. Many denounce the State’s inaction in the face of what is happening. How is it possible that an armed group can take 300 children from a school in a context where technological tools for control exist today? Is it simply incompetence? Or is it a lack of will to react? The absence of reaction is, in itself, a cause for even greater shame. Even a general was captured by armed groups, who later released a video of his execution. They also intend to humiliate the army, in the largest country on the African continent.
In November, the US Presidency added Nigeria to the list of countries of “Particular Concern,” specifically citing the suffering of Christians. What is your opinion of the controversies surrounding this decision?
NWACHUKWU: I would say that these debates are unproductive and can even be discouraging because of the interest and energy they absorb. Why should we let ourselves be drawn into abstract controversies about Nigeria, spending time arguing about whether or not there is persecution in the country, instead of investing that same energy in taking concrete steps to eradicate violence against the innocent, which is the very root of all these controversies?
Can it be said that Christians are persecuted in Nigeria?
NWACHUKWU: Regarding this question, there are some objective facts that must be considered. There is a total breakdown of security in Nigeria, affecting the entire population. This widespread insecurity acts as a smokescreen, making it difficult to clearly identify whether certain groups are being attacked with particular ferocity. Until about a year ago, I myself thought that the violence seemed to be linked primarily to conflicts between social or ethnic groups, such as the one between Fulani herders and farmers. However, based on the information I have been able to gather over the past year, numerous indications suggest that there are groups determined to systematically attack Christian communities. There is much data that can support the interpretation of those who speak of a persecution against Christians.
What are these indications?
NWACHUKWU: The persistence of kidnappings and ongoing attacks against Christians seems to be part of a systematic plan. Furthermore, when the intervention of security forces is requested, this intervention—when it involves Christian communities—either does not arrive or arrives too late. All of this suggests that there is a clear intent to target Christian victims.
How can this intent be verified?
NWACHUKWU: It would be necessary to dispel, at least in part, the “smokescreen” of widespread violence in order to verify whether there are groups being directly and systematically attacked, and whether this same smokescreen has not been deliberately created to target Christians while concealing the true intentions. For this reason, the controversy surrounding Nigeria as a land of persecution of Christians is destined to continue. And the government, rather than limiting itself to a sterile self-defense, should decisively address the issue of security to refute those who speak of persecution or even genocide of Christians in Nigeria. An example of this is that, even after the mass kidnapping of 300 young students, the government’s response was entirely questionable.
Is there a clear boundary between conflicts rooted in social or ethnicity and violence stemming from sectarian or religious motives?
NWACHUKWU: The situation is changing. Initially, social factors prevailed, such as the conflict between nomadic herders and farmers. Today, it is clear that the Fulani are no longer just herders. It is evident that infiltrators have taken hold within their ranks: there are individuals who do not herd livestock, but travel by motorcycle and other means, carrying automatic assault weapons. These groups attack villages, schools, and seminaries. Thus, the conflict between herders and farmers has become a smokescreen behind which another reality unfolds. And in all of this, I also perceive another risk: the indiscriminate demonization of the Fulani.
What could this demonization lead to?
NWACHUKWU: Today, the Fulani are perceived by everyone as demons. Fear is widespread. No one talks about the many honest Fulani, also present among businesspeople and academics. When the Fulani are mentioned, they are immediately associated with terrorism. In this context, a single spark is enough to unleash collective hatred against them. The groups that have allowed themselves to be infiltrated are exposing the entire Fulani people to this danger, not only in Nigeria, but throughout the Sahel region.
Do the bishops share a common opinion about what is happening?
NWACHUKWU: Unfortunately, the “smokescreen” of widespread violence also hinders this discernment. Today everyone is blaming the Fulani, but there are other criminal gangs belonging to other groups that profit from kidnappings, even in the south of the country. The situation is becoming increasingly complex, and this also influences the bishops’ perceptions, whose assessments vary depending on the region they are in. Nevertheless, most of them, especially in central Nigeria, now share the opinion of those who maintain that a persecution of Christians is underway in the country.
Are the communities following any strategies or recommendations to address this situation?
NWACHUKWU: While government-linked bodies seem incapable of guaranteeing the safety of Christians, the Catholic Church and traditional Protestant and Reformed churches share guidelines and practical measures for acting more prudently and reducing risks. Pentecostal groups, on the other hand, tend to react more forcefully, pointing more strongly to the government’s responsibilities. Furthermore, at the highest levels of many institutions, there are people who identify as Christian: the Secretary General of the Government and the President of the National Assembly are Catholic; the head of the army identifies as Christian; even the President’s wife claims to be a pastor. And yet, they do not react to what is happening.
You are a biblical scholar. How does the Word of God illuminate the experience of suffering, even to the point of martyrdom? And how has the Tradition of the Church embraced and understood its martyrs?
NWACHUKWU: Jesus did not come to bring death or suffering. To his followers, he promises life, and life in abundance. To give them that life, He Himself gave His own. From this perspective, we must look toward Christian martyrdom. A martyr is not someone who seeks death or commits suicide. It is absurd to call suicides martyrs. A martyr is someone who bears witness to God’s love for all, in imitation of Christ, sharing in His very love. Pope Francis also spoke of martyrdom when referring to those who, during the pandemic, risked their own lives to remain close to the people and help everyone. Martyrdom is not a heroism one can boast about. It is being united to Jesus and following Him, letting oneself be led by Him. And, in doing so, one may be called to give one’s own life.
On the night of December 24-25, U.S. military forces carried out an incursion into Nigerian territory, with the objective of bombing positions held by groups considered linked to the so-called Islamic State. Is this an appropriate and viable strategy for addressing the problems?
NWACHUKWU:A country can find itself unable to cope with its own crises and divisions without external help. I see many Muslim friends who do not know how to react to what is happening, and the government’s inaction is evident. In this situation, external intervention, even indirect, to support the state and the government against extremist groups and help the country eliminate the causes of widespread violence, might not be entirely unjustified or out of place.
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