Nigeria Government Convicts Nearly 400 on Terrorism Charges

4/16/2026  (ICC)

A federal high court in Nigeria has convicted 386 individuals on terrorism charges in one of the largest mass convictions in recent times. Those convicted were linked to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) or to Boko Haram. Reports indicate that those convicted received sentences ranging from five years to life in prison. In 2025, the United States added Nigeria back to its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, which designates countries with particularly egregious patterns of severe religious freedom violations. Tens of thousands of Christians have been killed or abducted by these groups and Fulani militants, and hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced. The current president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, has long failed to provide an effective response to the violence or adequate protection for Christians in the states where Christian communities have faced repeated attacks by Muslim extremists.

Please pray…

• Praise God that the Nigerian government is making some effort to hold terrorists who kill Christians accountable for their crimes.

• Pray that the government will do more to proactively protect Christian communities.

• Pray that the Lord will comfort the grieving and strengthen the faith of the Christians in the regions where attacks by Islamic terrorists are taking place.