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EASTER KILLINGS IN NIGERIA – THE GENOCIDE CONTINUES

Yet again our prayers are directed to our suffering brothers and sisters in Nigeria. Easter is often seen by Muslim and other extremists as a strategic time to target Christians. Sadly, this year was no exception. Islamist militants killed at least 29 in a Palm Sunday attack on a Christian-majority community in Plateau State. Fulani militants dressed in army camouflage and riding motorbikes descended on Angwan Rukuba, near Jos city. They reportedly shot indiscriminately and attacked victims with swords. As well as the dead, many were injured.
One week later, at least 24 people were killed and more than 30 kidnapped on Easter Sunday during attacks by suspected Islamist militants on Christian-majority communities in two other Middle Belt states. Gunmen opened fire as they stormed into the community of Mbalom in Gwer East Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State in the early hours. Seventeen villagers were killed and homes were set ablaze. Later on Easter Sunday, extremists targeted worship celebrations at two churches in Ariko, a community in Kachia LGA of Kaduna State, killing seven worshippers and kidnapping another 31 Christians. Further north, ten Christians were left dead after an attack by Islamists in the village of Komoza, Borno State, on 8 April. In the assault – reported via the social media channels of Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) – the terrorists also burned down a church building and seven houses.
“We owe the dead justice. We owe the living protection,” said Archbishop Daniel Okoh, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria. “And we owe our future a country where no community wakes up to gunfire on a sacred day.” Pray for the Christian families who grieve the loss of loved ones over Easter. Ask that our Saviour Jesus Christ will comfort them with the certainty that He defeated death through His sacrifice on the cross and opened the way to eternal life for all who trust Him. Pray for protection for those abducted, and for their swift release. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict hearts of the men of violence concerning sin, righteousness and judgement (John 16:9-11), and for peace to replace brutality throughout northern and Middle Belt Nigeria. [Source: BarnabasAid]

COUNCILS ATTEMPT TO SHUT DOWN/CENSOR LOCAL CHURCH’S EVANGELISM EFFORTS IN
UNITED KIGDOM: Around the country, the Christian message is being increasingly silenced in public spaces. But in Colchester, this has taken a new form, with the council seeking to stop evangelists from mentioning judgement and hell. Bread of Life Community Church from Colchester has been issued with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) that could criminalise its pastor and members for preaching in the city centre. Council Wardens have raised concerns not only about volume, but about the content of the preaching, including theological references to judgement and hell, which the council claimed might distress some listeners.
The Church openly records and publishes video footage of their outreach – and the church says no evidence exists of threats or harassment. This is a church that has engaged in the same outreach for six years, as well as providing a regular foodbank collection for the local community, and having a track record of buying warm clothes for people who need them. And they are being threatened not because of their actions but because of their message. The church has launched a petition, calling on the Colchester Council to take urgent action to:
*Defend the right of churches to preach the gospel peacefully in public;
*Ensure that Community Protection Notices are not misused to censor lawful religious expression, and
*Protect freedom of religion and speech for all.
Similar attempts to suppress Christian outreach are appearing elsewhere in the UK, with several cases being resolved by Christian Legal Centre lawyers. This has included in Uxbridge, where a church was forced to legally challenge and ultimately overturn a council ban on its outreach ministry. Also, in Aldershot town centre, a council attempted to secure an injunction that could have criminalized Christian street preaching, and even Christmas carols, before retreating under legal pressure.
These incidents are just some examples, and they demonstrate a growing trend of local authorities exceeding their powers to restrict peaceful Christian witness in public spaces. But the law is clear. Articles 9 and 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 protect the right to manifest religious beliefs and to speak freely in public. The Chief Executive of the British Christian Legal Service, Andrea Williams, said: “This is a deeply alarming development … public order powers designed to address genuine anti-social behaviour are now being used to clamp down on Christian preaching. Today it is amplification, tomorrow it is the content of the message itself. We are seeing a slippery slope from managing noise to policing theology. Public authorities must not use their powers to censor lawful religious expression or silence peaceful Christian witness.” [Source: Premier Christian News]

UKRAINE – PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN TERROR EVERY SINGLE DAY
Russia continues to launch life and property destructive attacks on Ukraine. Many people are being killed and wounded. One target destroyed was a church in Zaporizhzhia. Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) says people are living in terror every single day. Pastors from the destroyed church dress in armour to continue their work ministering to people. These brave servants of the Lord announce the goodness of God to God’s people. And they head into the front lines to minister to the hurting, and to lost people needing the Gospel.
SGA is working in Ukraine to provide resources for churches. Mr Mock told Mission Network News that despite the terror, churches are being planted, congregations are moving forward, and God is continuing to be glorified in difficult times. Around 700 churches have been destroyed since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. [Source: Mission Network News]

ISLAMIC MILITANTS ATTACK CONGO VILLAGES NEAR UGANDA, KILLING 40 PEOPLE
An Islamic State-affiliated group attacked villages in Congo near the border with Uganda, killing at least 40 people and burning and looting homes. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, and is one of the numerous groups operating in Congo, routinely attacking civilians. In July 2025, the group killed 66 people in eastern Congo in what the United Nations called a “bloodbath”. The most recent attacks were carried out during the night, and members of the Charité Banza and the Ituri Civil Society groups report that 25 people were killed in border villages in the Beni territory of North Kivu, while 15 others were killed in Ituri province. The death toll may rise because several residents were still missing after the attacks. In a recent report this week, Amnesty International accused the Allied Democratic Forces of “war crimes and crimes against humanity”. [Source: Missionary Network News]

PRISONERS EMBRACING FAITH THANKS TO CHAPLAINS
Bradley only cries twice a year: on his brother’s birthday, and on the anniversary of his brother’s death. Bradley suffered considerable abuse growing up within the foster care system. He learned very quickly not to show emotion, and his heart grew cold.  It was the death of his brother when he was 23 years old that rocked Bradley to his core and upended his whole world. He’d never lost someone he loved before and grief overwhelmed him. He turned to drugs, alcohol and fighting, attempting to deal with the anguish that had enveloped him. Bradley said: “If I wasn’t drinking and fighting it was because I was sick.”
When he got word that a young girl he knew was unhealthily targeted, Bradley was filled with rage. Bradley tracked down the person involved and attacked him with such violence, that he was sentenced to seven years in prison. After his release, Bradley was sentenced to prison once again, this time for drug trafficking. But something happened during this stay in jail that would change his life forever. Sitting at a table, playing cards with fellow inmates, Bradley barely looked up when a man that he didn’t recognise walked into the room. “God’s asked me to talk to you,” the prison chaplain said, looking straight at Bradley. Shocked, Bradley looked up, and tears streamed down his face. His whole heart opened in that moment.
It was the chaplain from Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy who convinced Bradley to attend counselling and work through the trauma from his past. He started attending a regular Bible study group in prison, learning many scriptures by heart, which still encourage him today. Today, Bradley is a free man in more ways than one. Not only is he out of the prison system, but he’s found true freedom that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. He was baptised at a local church not long after he was released from prison. He’s married and is the very proud father of seven children. Bradley also founded his own clothing business which has a mission to “embrace the bold and the daring” and “empower”. In the power of the sovereign God, Brad turned from  drugs, violence and bikie gangs, to embracing faith, fatherhood and fashion for a cause – made possible throught the ministry of  Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy.  [Source: Faith News Sources]

A USA STATE DECLARES JUNE AS THE ‘NUCLEAR FAMILY MONTH’
The US State of Tennessee passed a new measure to honour “God’s perfect design” for families, declaring June 2026 as “Nuclear Family Month”. The Governor signed Tennessee House Joint Resolution 182 after both the state House of Representatives and Senate overwhelmingly passed the measure. The resolution replaces the celebration of LGBTQ “Pride Month” with the celebration of the nuclear family and rejects the harmful “ideologies of the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and like-minded organizations that fight for population control through the means of promoting sterilization and abortion practices”. House Sponsor, Bud Hulsey, defines the nuclear family as “one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children” and declares it “God’s design for familial structure”.
Tennessee legislators are concerned that the trend of fatherless homes has led to dire consequences in America. The motion cites statistics acknowledging that fatherlessness is connected to 60% of youth suicides, 71% of high school dropouts and 85% of youths in prison. It also points to a 2016 study by Peter Langman on the psychology behind 56 school shooters. It found 82% had been raised in an unstable family environment or without both biological parents.
The Founder and Chairman of the US Liberty Counsel, a Christian non-profit organization supporting the sanctity of human life, and traditional family values, Mat Staver, said: “We commend Tennessee legislators for embracing the nuclear family as society’s foundational building block. The traditional core family unit is essential for a healthy society to function and flourish.” [Source: CBN News]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss