Prayer request for Nigeria

        Source:                       www.21wilberforce.org
Date:                           June 16, 2026

Nigeria is undergoing significant change.

Last week, Nigeria took a major step toward reforming its security system when the House of Representatives approved a constitutional amendment that would, for the first time, allow states to establish their own police forces. The measure, years in the making and supported by many Christian leaders and communities, reflects growing recognition that local authorities need greater capacity to respond to the violence affecting communities across the country. If fully implemented, state policing could significantly improve security and protection for vulnerable populations.

However, much work remains. State governments will need to recruit, train, equip, and fund these new police forces while ensuring strong accountability and oversight.

Please pray that Nigeria’s leaders will have the wisdom, integrity, and resources needed to build effective police services that protect communities, uphold justice, and help prevent further violence.

Please pray for Christian leadership to rise to the challenges of this new phase in the Republic of Nigeria, and to be able to meaningfully influence the formation and equipping of state police forces.

Please pray for Nigerian authorities to act justly and to ensure the rule of law across all of its territory.

On February 19, 2018, 14-year-old Leah Sharibu was kidnapped by militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during an attack on the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, Nigeria. Leah was abducted alongside 109 other schoolgirls. Most of the girls were eventually released, while some died in captivity. Leah, however, was never freed after reportedly refusing to renounce her Christian faith and convert to Islam. Today, she remains the only known captive from that attack still held by her abductors.

As part of the global Voices4Justice campaign, 21Wilberforce will join with partners, advocates, faith leaders, and members of the Nigerian diaspora outside the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on June 18 for the #EndTheSilence rally—a public call for action on behalf of Leah Sharibu and the many Christian women and girls who remain missing, captive, or vulnerable to violence in Nigeria.

Please pray that these women and girls will not be forgotten, that their voices will be heard, and that those in power to act will do so with courage, urgency, and compassion.

Leah’s story is far from unique. On November 11, 2025, Love (photo) from Kaduna State was one of many who were kidnapped by armed bandits. She was eight months pregnant. Our Nigerian partners visited her and she shared “It was at the camp that I gave birth to my daughter, whom we named Miracle. The circumstances were extremely difficult. There were no clothes to wrap her in, no bed or mat to lay her on. We slept on the bare ground alongside other kidnapped victims. Despite these harsh conditions, she survived.”

21Wilberforce currently supports partners in Nigeria to coming alongside survivors of persecution and violence like Love and alongside Christian communities victims of egregious violence to provide aid, to document and report on what’s happening, and to advocate for peace and security.

Please pray for Nigerian partners as the minister to people like Love, her daughter and her family. Our partners can go to places in Nigeria where it’s too dangerous for outsiders like 21Wilberforce to go to. Please pray for their safety, for strength, and for discernment on how to speak up.

Thank you for praying.

Wissam al-Saliby, President
21Wilberforce