--- title: 15/05 • NIGERIA description: Armed violence has escalated across Nigeria, fuelled by long-standing tensions over land, religion, and identity. image: https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/hubfs/Pray%20the%20News%20Banner%20Images%20Nigeria-1.png --- [![Anglican Missions logo](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/hubfs/anglican-missions-and-awa.png)](http://www.anglicanmissions.org.nz) - [NEWSROOM HOME](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz) - [NEWSLETTER](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/enews) - [PRAY THE NEWS](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/pray) [DONATE NOW](https://anglicanmissions.org.nz/donate/) Conflict # 15/05 • NIGERIA Armed violence has escalated across Nigeria, fuelled by long-standing tensions over land, religion, and identity. [Anglican Missions](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/pray/author/anglicanmissions) May 15, 2025 --- In recent weeks, violence has escalated across multiple regions of NIgeria. Long-standing tensions over land, religion, and identity are colliding with armed insurgencies and growing desperation.  In Nigeria’s North Central states, particularly Plateau and Benue, attacks linked to long-running herder/farmer tensions have surged. Between late March and late April, [armed groups killed at least 56 people Benue State](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/19/herder-farmer-clashes-in-nigeria-kill-at-least-17), with this number expected to rise. These killings are rooted in competition over land and water, strained by climate stress, population growth, and historical grievances between Muslim Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farming communities. Local leaders have described the attacks as coordinated and targeted. Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang called the killings in Bassa [a “genocide” against Indigenous communities.](https://www.facebook.com/PLSGov/posts/mutfwang-peter-obi-call-for-urgent-national-action-to-halt-orchestrated-killings/1002257275421310/) Thousands have been displaced, many fleeing with little more than what they could carry. Meanwhile, the North East is facing renewed assaults from jihadist groups. Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have both stepped up attacks in Borno and Adamawa states. In one week alone, Boko Haram killed [14 farmers in Gwoza](https://inquirer.ng/2025/04/28/boko-haram-ambush-claims-16-lives-in-borno/) and ISWAP [killed 15 people during a funeral in Chibok,](https://www.barrons.com/news/jihadists-kill-15-mourners-in-northeast-nigeria-sources-513f45bf)an area still scarred by the [2014 abduction of schoolgirls](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/04/nigeria-decade-after-boko-haram-attack-on-chibok-82-girls-still-in-captivity/). ISWAP have also claimed responsibility for a [series of deadly IED attacks](https://humanglemedia.com/more-ied-explosions-recorded-as-terrorist-groups-intensify-operations-in-nigerias-north-east/) along the Maiduguri–Damboa highway. Borno’s governor has warned that the state is “[losing ground” to insurgents](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kxxg5jy0ro) regrouping in the Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad region. In Adamawa, communities in Hong LGA were also targeted in April, leaving at least 17 dead. The ripple effect of this conflict is stark: over [33 million Nigerians are projected to face food insecurity by August 2025](https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1156876). According to the World Food Programme and Nigerian government reports, violence has disrupted farming, displaced rural communities, and weakened supply chains. Many affected families are now reliant on overstretched aid or have no access to support at all. With limited international funding, humanitarian agencies warn that food assistance [may be cut further](https://www.wfpusa.org/news-release/central-sahel-nigeria-food-cuts-wfp-severe-funding-crisis/), deepening the suffering.    --- ### PRAYER POINTS: - We pray for peace and reconciliation between herder and farmer communities in Nigeria’s middle belt. - We pray for protection and healing for those affected by insurgency in the North East. - We pray for the millions facing hunger and displacement, especially children and vulnerable families. --- [Click here](https://anglicanmissions.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PRAY-THE-NEWS-PRINTABLE-150525-NIGERIA-.pdf) to download a printable version of Pray the News. [Conflict](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/pray/tag/conflict) [Food Security](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/pray/tag/food-security) [Africa](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/pray/tag/africa) ## SIMILAR POSTS Disasters ### [17/10 • FLORIDA](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/pray/241017) Hurricane Milton swept across Florida, leaving at least 24 dead, significant infrastructure damage and millions without power and utilities. Anglican Missions Oct 17, 2024 Disasters ### [30/10 • JAMAICA](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/pray/301025) Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on 28 October 2025 as one of the most powerful storms on record.  Anglican Missions Oct 30, 2025 New Zealand ### [23/10 • AOTEAROA NZ STORMS](https://news.anglicanmissions.org.nz/pray/231025) Severe winds and heavy rain have battered much of Aotearoa New Zealand, causing widespread damage, disruption, and tragedy. Anglican Missions Oct 23, 2025 ### SIGN UP TO PRAY THE NEWS Pray the News is a weekly blog published by Anglican Missions to enrich the intercessory prayer life of the church as we pray into the biggest social, cultural and geopolitical headlines facing the world. We believe that prayer makes a difference and is an active engagement with the heart of God. 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