Stories from the Field

Many of the attack victims being cared for at a Christian-run rehabilitation hospital in Gboko, Benue state, Nigeria, cannot hide their wounds. Casts and crutches clearly identify which limbs have been hacked at — or cut off — by a Muslim extremist’s machete. But the wounds that 25-year-old Solomon Samaila received in a December 2013 attack on his village in Taraba state, Nigeria, are less apparent. He has to show you. After quietly and patiently sharing his story of the attack, he takes off his T-shirt and turns toward the wall. The scars and blistering on his back show that he has suffered severe burns. The burns are the price Solomon paid for refusing to deny Jesus as Lord. It’s a price he humbly accepts. “Christ, Himself, suffered,” he said. “The salvation that I have in Christ was not free, but paid with a price to save me. So I equally feel I am prepared to suffer in persecution for the salvation I have in Christ. I won’t turn back.” Attacked by Neighbors The attack on Solomon’s village wasn’t carried out by Boko Haram insurgents from the north or by Muslim Fulani herdsmen, who also attack Christian villages. It was

Habila Adamu and his family were awakened by the sound of someone pounding on the front door of their simple home in northern Nigeria. It was 11 p.m., well past the hour for a neighborly visit, so the only reason for someone to be at the door was an emergency or, worse, an attack on their village. The pounding on the door was followed by the sound of men yelling for Habila to come out with his family. Habila rushed to get dressed. When he entered the front room with his wife, Vivian, and their young son close behind, he faced intruders wearing robes and masks. One was armed with an AK-47. Habila said a short prayer to the Lord. After announcing that they were there to do the work of Allah, the men began to question Habila. They asked him his name, his profession, whether he was a policeman or in the military, and whether he was a Christian or Muslim. “I am a Christian,” he replied. Vivian was terrified, knowing the men were members of Boko Haram. The intruders told Habila that they were giving him the opportunity to live — and live a better life — if

As Micah and Dorcas Magaji walked through their Nigerian village the morning of Dec. 18, 2014, they were confronted with a choice. A group of Muslim men surrounded them, demanding that they deny Christ. Micah and Dorcas could deny Christ and live, or remain faithful and face possible death. “We were born into a Christian family,” Micah told them. “We are still Christians today. There is no way we are going to turn around from our past.” The men then threatened to cut off Micah’s arm and kill him if he didn’t renounce his faith. “Only God can take life,” he responded. “It is from God, so you cannot take my life.” The Muslims then tried to intimidate Dorcas, but she also remained faithful. “I’m married to a Christian,” she said. “There’s no way I would go back. Wherever my husband goes, that is where I’ll go. I’m not changing from this faith to any other.” Dorcas’s response infuriated the men. They shot her to death and then hacked at both of Micah’s forearms with a machete before leaving him for dead. “The story of the attack got to Christian elders, so they sent people to rescue me,” 35-year-old Micah

Danjuma Shakaru’s grave is still empty. Villagers had dug the 13-year-old boy’s final resting place after he was critically wounded during a Jan. 28, 2015 attack on their village. When they saw his mangled, lifeless body covered in blood, they fully expected him to die. But God had other plans. Three months after the attack, Danjuma’s face is marked by horrendous scars where his right eye was carved out … and by a beaming smile. Danjuma’s memories of the attack begin with the gunshots he heard at about 6 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. He remembers running for his life and then being confronted by some of the more than 1,000 Islamic insurgents who attacked his Christian village, burning homes and killing villagers who didn’t manage to escape. Although his memories of the attack are incomplete, one thing he’ll never forget is the pain caused by a machete slicing through the left side of his head. The rest of the attack, by God’s grace, he doesn’t recall. “Then I found myself in this situation,” he said. “I can’t remember how the story continues again.” Terrifying Brutality Danjuma can’t recall the attackers hacking at his left arm with a machete. He

Eight-year-old Nankpak Kumzwam watched his mother lie face down on the ground as a screaming Islamic rioter ran toward them. Her cheek was stained with dried blood from a gunshot wound, and she looked physically and emotionally drained. They had slept on the ground for the past two nights while fleeing marauding rioters. And they had just heard heartbreaking news — rioters had killed Nankpak’s father. When Nankpak saw his mother lie down out of fear and exhaustion, he did the same. The Muslim rioter running toward them knew they were Christians and that Nankpak’s father was a pastor, so he immediately attacked them with a machete. Assuming that he had killed Nankpak as well as his mother, brother and sister, the attacker finally walked away. But there was one survivor. The Young Survivor When Nankpak regained consciousness, he knew his mother, sister and brother were dead. Bleeding from machete wounds and the gunshot wound he had suffered the day before, Nankpak hiked through the bush to find help, eventually arriving at a friend’s house. After receiving treatment, Nankpak moved in with an uncle until he enrolled in a school in a safe area. VOM provided support to him, just