LDS in Nigeria.

[blackstrap]

There is an ongoing war in Nigeria that seems to focus on Christians particularly. Does anyone know how this is affecting the LDS population ? Links would be appreciated. 

[Pyreaux]

There are 200,000 LDS members reported there, and it is a rapid growth area. The Church's presence is heavily concentrated in the South-Eastern and South-Central parts of Nigeria, with significant growth also seen in the West.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Nigeria

While the most severe, targeted violence against Christians is often reported in the northern, Muslim-majority states and increasingly in the Middle Belt.

https://globalchristianrelief.org/resources/countries/nigeria/

Our Church's traditional stronghold in the South-East may be less immediately impacted by the violence originating from the far North, but an increasing spread of attacks suggests a risk across the country.

The Church is not a named target of the major militant groups like Boko Haram or Fulani militants, in the way that larger traditional Christian denominations are, Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal Churches are. The LDS Church in Nigeria is a very small minority, it may make them a less obvious and thus less appealing target for groups seeking to make anti-Christian symbolic impacts.

Christian targeting is often mixed with ethnic conflicts. In the past, missionaries were sometimes associated with West/America like in the 2007 missionary abduction. Since then, Church largely replaced American/foreign missionaries with local Nigerian missionaries, it has reduced this particular security vulnerability.

[Kenngo1969]

No information about the war.  Sorry.  Perhaps, though, some might find this to be of interest.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories/nigeria/ng-chronology?lang=eng

 

[The Nehor]

Most of the Church’s stronger areas are in the southwest and east and the church is reportedly stronger in the urban areas. These aren’t usually the big conflict areas.

A short piece on the struggles of LDS Church members in Nigeria due to culture: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/445

The conflict isn’t particularly targeting Christians though there is propaganda drumming up this angle at the moment by some groups with specific objectives. Boko Haram is anti-Christian but it is also anti-Islam except for those allied to it directly. They have gotten around the prohibition on killing other Muslims by declaring them all apostates. In this case apostasy is tied to being involved with such repulsive practices as “democracy” and “scientific” anything. Basically an anti-intellectualism that in some cases holds that reading anything other than the Quran is bad.

That being said while they would gladly fight Christians (and do) they are most active in the northeast which is mostly Muslim and the actual conflicts on the ground are often not tied to religion. There is ethnic conflict and just plain old banditry and economic conflict. The effects of climate change and desertification in Nigeria is bad and getting worse and this has pushed some people south and is causing a lot of local conflicts over resources and land. There is also plenty of Christian on Christian violence going on as well. This isn’t some stark divide where innocent and devout Christians are being preyed on by caricatured jihadists.

International watch groups estimate that around 10% of the violence has religion as its primary justification.

The Nigerian military and law enforcement is trying to clamp down on this but they have been infiltrated (particularly at the lower levels) by the various groups involved. There is also some political grandstanding by Nigerian politicians that isn’t helping anything. The security forces also have the habit of acting way beyond the bounds of the law and often attack without legal provocation and execute suspected terrorists with no due process. A big human rights problem.

The current Nigerian government does not want a US military intervention so moving in would be an invasion. Some opposition groups do want intervention but this is likely more about wanting to destabilize the government and/or thinking it will aid separatist groups in breaking away from the nation. There is also still some simmering resentment in the Nigerian government and people for the sudden and unexpected shutdown of the United States foreign aid programs worldwide that left a gap in several areas, mostly in dealing with the effects of climate change and medical aid. Projected death toll of pulling this aid will occur slowly but will probably be thousands dead in the country.

If I can put on my amateur geopolitical nerd hat for a second:

A US military intervention would be bad. The best case would be a few air strikes are launched that kill people and it is over. It won’t accomplish anything but the cost in blood would be low. If that sates the bloodlust of those calling for this that would be the best option to minimize damage all around. Solving this conflict would need boots on the ground and a lot of them. The US military is trained to fight conventional opponents and they are VERY good at this. If it weren’t for the Russian nuclear deterrent the US military could intervene and end the conflict in Ukraine within a few months. This wouldn’t be like that. This would more likely be a cross between Afghanistan and Vietnam. Patrols that have to fear suicide bombers from all parts of the populace. A population and government that doesn’t want the troops there. It is counterinsurgency so you have to target people who may or may not be ‘civilians’. It would almost certainly be a boondoggle with lots of human rights violations and a lot of traumatized military personnel. A quagmire with no real end game.

It would also give the US military a black eye and threaten national security. Recruitment numbers are slowly growing back towards normal levels but getting involved in a conflict like this would tank US recruitment and could present an ongoing problem for decades.

One good article on the current conflict: https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/nigeria-united-states/why-president-trump-threatening-humanitarian-intervention-nigeria

Another: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/11/8/nigerians-demand-own-solutions-to-violence-as-trump-threatens-us-invasion

[Stargazer]

On 11/12/2025 at 7:53 PM, The Nehor said:

Most of the Church’s stronger areas are in the southwest and east and the church is reportedly stronger in the urban areas. These aren’t usually the big conflict areas.

A short piece on the struggles of LDS Church members in Nigeria due to culture: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/445

The conflict isn’t particularly targeting Christians though there is propaganda drumming up this angle at the moment by some groups with specific objectives. Boko Haram is anti-Christian but it is also anti-Islam except for those allied to it directly. They have gotten around the prohibition on killing other Muslims by declaring them all apostates. In this case apostasy is tied to being involved with such repulsive practices as “democracy” and “scientific” anything. Basically an anti-intellectualism that in some cases holds that reading anything other than the Quran is bad.

That being said while they would gladly fight Christians (and do) they are most active in the northeast which is mostly Muslim and the actual conflicts on the ground are often not tied to religion. There is ethnic conflict and just plain old banditry and economic conflict. The effects of climate change and desertification in Nigeria is bad and getting worse and this has pushed some people south and is causing a lot of local conflicts over resources and land. There is also plenty of Christian on Christian violence going on as well. This isn’t some stark divide where innocent and devout Christians are being preyed on by caricatured jihadists.

International watch groups estimate that around 10% of the violence has religion as its primary justification.

The Nigerian military and law enforcement is trying to clamp down on this but they have been infiltrated (particularly at the lower levels) by the various groups involved. There is also some political grandstanding by Nigerian politicians that isn’t helping anything. The security forces also have the habit of acting way beyond the bounds of the law and often attack without legal provocation and execute suspected terrorists with no due process. A big human rights problem.

The current Nigerian government does not want a US military intervention so moving in would be an invasion. Some opposition groups do want intervention but this is likely more about wanting to destabilize the government and/or thinking it will aid separatist groups in breaking away from the nation. There is also still some simmering resentment in the Nigerian government and people for the sudden and unexpected shutdown of the United States foreign aid programs worldwide that left a gap in several areas, mostly in dealing with the effects of climate change and medical aid. Projected death toll of pulling this aid will occur slowly but will probably be thousands dead in the country.

If I can put on my amateur geopolitical nerd hat for a second:

A US military intervention would be bad. The best case would be a few air strikes are launched that kill people and it is over. It won’t accomplish anything but the cost in blood would be low. If that sates the bloodlust of those calling for this that would be the best option to minimize damage all around. Solving this conflict would need boots on the ground and a lot of them. The US military is trained to fight conventional opponents and they are VERY good at this. If it weren’t for the Russian nuclear deterrent the US military could intervene and end the conflict in Ukraine within a few months. This wouldn’t be like that. This would more likely be a cross between Afghanistan and Vietnam. Patrols that have to fear suicide bombers from all parts of the populace. A population and government that doesn’t want the troops there. It is counterinsurgency so you have to target people who may or may not be ‘civilians’. It would almost certainly be a boondoggle with lots of human rights violations and a lot of traumatized military personnel. A quagmire with no real end game.

It would also give the US military a black eye and threaten national security. Recruitment numbers are slowly growing back towards normal levels but getting involved in a conflict like this would tank US recruitment and could present an ongoing problem for decades.

One good article on the current conflict: https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/nigeria-united-states/why-president-trump-threatening-humanitarian-intervention-nigeria

Another: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/11/8/nigerians-demand-own-solutions-to-violence-as-trump-threatens-us-invasion

The US definitely needs to stay out, IMHO. 

[sunstoned]

I was in Africa for several months doing research.  I was shocked by the everyday violence. I was at a university that had armed guards at all entry points.  My dorm had locking iron-bar doors. There were panic buttons in each room.  People there live in a world of violence.  Governments are corrupt. Police are corrupt. It was an eye-opener. My Uncle was in the mission presidency in an African mission. He was assigned 24x7 security.  He told me his main concern was the safety of the missionaries and members.  I truly feel for the people there.