Watching Boko Haram behead her Christian father and leave her brother for dead in their northeast Nigerian village has strengthened the faith of Manga, who continues to live out her Christianity in the troubled nation.
Manga told her story two months after the U.S. State Department dropped Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, a designation that can draw economic sanctions from the U.S. government.
‘Your life is always at stake’
“Once you are Christian in Nigeria, your life is always at stake,” Manga told Open Doors, a missions organization that empowers and equips persecuted Christians.
Nigeria had only been designated a Country of Particular Concern since 2020 before it was dropped in November. David Curry, president of Open Doors, has expressed his hope the country will be returned to the State Department’s list.
Nigeria ranks No. 7 on Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List of countries where it is most dangerous to live as a Christian.
