Early this year, Open Doors International released its 2026 World Watch List, an annual ranking of 50 countries where Christians are subjected to the most severe persecution, placing Nigeria at number 7 worldwide.

By this year’s ranking, Nigeria comes after North Korea – which is first on the list – Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea and Syria, and before countries such as Pakistan, Libya, and even Iran, as well as many other Muslim-dominated countries.

For almost a year after its release, not many Nigerians have had the privilege of seeing the report by Open Doors. For those who have seen it, not many realise the gravity of the findings contained in that document.

It once again confirmed Nigeria as the epicentre of violence against Christians worldwide. And as the year draws to an end, it does not appear that Open Doors report covering the same period this year would be anything better than that of last year.

The report, covering 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, records 3,490 Christians killed for their faith in Nigeria, out of 4,849 worldwide. That is about 72 percent of all global Christian martyrdom in a single country.

Nigeria retains its ranking as number 7 on the World Watch List, with a score of 89 out of 100, classified as extreme persecution. Its violence score hit the maximum possible. Open Doors blames a severe combination of ethno-religious hostility, Islamic oppression, and organised corruption and crime.

“Most of the violence against Christians is carried out by Muslim Fulani militants and ‘bandits’ of Fulani descent, more than by Boko Haram and ISWAP combined,” the report notes.

In the North, 12 states operate under Sharia law, where Christians are deprived of essential freedoms. In the Middle Belt — Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Taraba, Niger — attacks on Christian farming villages have become almost routine.

The report says violence has increased and spilled into southern states, with Fulani militia hiding in forests and carrying out guerrilla-style attacks. It also notes that President Bola Tinubu has yet to fulfil his commitment to take decisive action against those responsible for the violence.

Despite the scale, Open Doors says it undercounts: it only includes deaths it can reasonably link to Christian faith, excluding battle deaths and unconfirmed reports.

For tens of millions of Nigerian Christians, the report is both a warning and a call to prayer. And to the world, it is a call not to look away.