NIGERIA

Population: 181 million
Dominant Religion: Christianity
Christians: 50.4 %
Persecution Ranking: 7

As we finish the first quarter century this month, there is good news worldwide regarding maternal deaths. Thanks to expanded access to healthcare worldwide, maternal deaths have dropped 40% since 2000! Those numbers have also improved in Nigeria, but only by 13%. Nigeria had 29% of the world’s maternal deaths in 2023, a total of 75,000. That percentage is much higher in the northeastern state of Borno.

Why is Borno suffering so much? This is where Boko Haram is most active. Their ongoing attacks prevent schools, hospitals, and businesses from functioning. Boko Haram has a special aversion to anything they consider “Western,” which includes modern hospitals. Many of the hospitals in Borno state have been blown up by Boko Haram. Given that situation, medical personnel have left. Doctors who remain earn between $99-156/month, and they risk their lives by going to work. Hospitals have been replaced by mobile units that don’t have the capacity to deal with complicated pregnancies. The result is a much higher death rate for pregnant women and their babies.

The U. S. government donated hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to Nigeria, but that ended earlier this year. The Nigerian government is trying to make up for the decrease in funds. Instead of filling in the gap, private charitable organizations are turning their attention to Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan.

Formerly peaceful towns in Borno state have morphed into military garrisons. Their primary goal is protection from Boko Haram terrorists. Under those conditions, medical facilities have often folded leaving an even wider gap between the need and the availability of care.

Those whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by Boko Haram are now living in Internally Displaced (IDP) camps. Pre-natal care is inadequate in Borno state, and especially in IDPs. One of the worst of IDPs is in Borno’s capital city of Maiduguri. The situation there is not conducive for education or earning an honest living. Many families in IDPs get their money through prostitution. Teen girls and young women service wealthy men who impregnate them. Frequently, the girls perform their own abortions in outhouses. Local leaders are searching in vain for answers. The situation is grim, and there are no immediate solutions.

 

Pray Fervently for:

  • The Lord to move against Boko Haram, making a way for safety and prosperity (The Bible, Deuteronomy 7:19).
  • The Nigerian government to have success in making a better future for the women of Borno state (The Bible, Isaiah 49:15).
  • Christians with the right skills to work in Borno state to make sure women get the medical care they need (The Bible, Exodus 1:19).

 

Sources:

BBC News. One death every seven minutes: The world’s worst country to give birth. June 2, 2025.

AP News. Pregnancy has become a nightmare for many women in Nigeria’s conflict-hit north. August 26, 2025.

Sahara Reporters. Borno Government, Stakeholders Condemn Rising Teenage Pregnancy, Abortions In IDPs Camps. November 4, 2025.