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On the night of December 24th, Christians gathered for worship at a church in Mailo village, a community located in the Dosso region of Niger. At around 11 p.m., armed men stormed the church building and fired into the air, causing the worshippers to panic. As a result, all who had been attending the service fled – some escaping into the bush, while others sought refuge in neighbouring villages. Tragically, a husband and wife who hid in their home were pursued and killed by the assailants.

In June 2023, Haroon Shahzad posted a Bible passage on his Facebook page without any commentary. Some community members were offended by the post, which eventually led to mob riots. While the authorities were able to avert the resulting violence, hundreds of Christians – including Haroon and his family – were forced to flee their village. Based on the allegations, Haroon was initially charged with blasphemy. (Read further details about his case.)

On November 21st, people around the world were shocked by the abduction of over 300 students from a boarding school in Niger State, Nigeria. (Learn more about this kidnapping incident.)

About two weeks after the attack, Nigerian authorities announced that 100 of the children had been recovered. On December 21st, a spokesperson for the Nigerian president confirmed via social media that the remaining 130 pupils have since been released. This means that all the abducted schoolchildren were safely freed from captivity!