Bishop's village attacked, 20 slain after recent testimony to Congress on Christian persecution
FIRST ON FOX: A Nigerian bishop has been threatened and his home village murderously attacked after he appealed to lawmakers at a March congressional hearing for the killing of Christians to stop.
Bishop Wilfred Anagbe told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview this week that after he went to Washington to testify, four fatal attacks in 10 days by "terrorist Jihadists" had happened in his diocese, the area he is responsible for.
Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian, according to NGO Open Doors International's 2025 World Watch List (WWL). Of the 4,476 Christians killed worldwide in WWL's latest reporting period, 3,100 of those who died – 69% – were in Nigeria.
Fears Remain This Easter That Christians In Nigeria Are Being 'Wiped Out' By Muslim Extremists
Open Doors U.K., added in a statement, "Jihadist violence continues to escalate in Nigeria, and Christians are at particular risk from targeted attacks by Islamic militant groups, including Fulani militants, Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province)."
One leader of one of the biggest churches in Africa's most populous nation, using the pseudonym "Pastor Winyadebi" because he's worried about his safety, told Fox News Digital. "It has been attacks upon attacks, religious violence. And we say this because the communities that are attacked are Christian communities."
Read On The Fox News App
"What they (Islamist militants) want is to be sure that Islam [takes] over every part of these places. … And so they're doing everything to make sure that Christianity is brought down and Islam is [the] established No. 1. They want to make sure that Sharia law (strict Islamic law) has taken over Nigeria," he said.
Anagbe's Makurdi Diocese in north-central Nigeria is almost exclusively Christian. But the constant and escalating attacks by Islamist Fulani militants led him to testify at a congressional hearing in March.
In April, several foreign embassies in Abuja, Nigeria, warned the bishop of credible high-level official threats: that he would be detained upon arrival in Nigeria from the U.S. and that "something might happen to him."
This led to Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., Anagbe's congressional host and chair of the House Africa Subcommittee, to write in a statement: "I am appalled by reports that Bishop Wilfred Anagbe and Father Remigius Ihyula (who testified alongside Bishop Anagbe) are facing threats—allegedly from Nigerian government sources and affiliated organizations—because of the Bishop's testimony before Congress detailing violence in Nigeria's Benue State. They reflect a troubling pattern of retaliation linked to testimony before Congress on religious freedom abuses in Nigeria."
Christians Increasingly Persecuted Worldwide As 'Modern And Historical Factors Converge'
The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on April 10 posted on X calling for the bishop's "right to speak freely without fear of retribution or retaliation," declaring that intimidation and threats had been made "because of their March 12 testimony."
Then the attacks, larger and more frequent than before, started, with four attacks between May 23 and June 1.
Anagbe told Fox News Digital that "what has been happening in my village and diocese is nothing short of terror attacks on innocent villagers in order to seize their lands and occupy."
"On the 23rd [of] May, one of my priests, Father Solomon Atongo, was shot in the leg by these terrorists and almost lost his life. On the 25th of May, my village, Aondona, was attacked for hours, leaving over 20 people dead, scores injured and thousands now displaced and living in makeshift camps," he said.
"On the 1st of June, terror was unleashed on Naka town, with many killed and displaced," Anagbe continued. "This attack was so intense that even those earlier displaced and taking refuge in a nearby school were not spared. All over Nigeria, these terrorists are going about on a jihad and conquering territories and renaming them accordingly."
"I have been speaking about this genocide for some years now, but whereas in the past some others saw my advocacy with the political lens, today almost everyone in Nigeria has seen the truth for what it is, especially after my testimony in the U.S. Congress."
The bishop ended the interview with a plea: "The world has a lot to do. First of all, the world must learn from past mistakes, the Holocaust and most recently the Rwandan genocide. In both cases, the world hid its face in the sand like an ostrich. If the world does not rise up now to put a stop to the atrocities orchestrated in the name of being politically correct, it may wake up one day to casualties that make the Rwandan genocide a child's play. Keeping quiet would be to promote the genocide or ethnic cleansing in Nigeria."
While the Nigerian government did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment, the Catholic Herald reported that the Nigerian Foreign Ministry had contacted the U.S. regarding the bishop's testimony, noting that "any reports of threats or intimidation against religious leaders would be investigated and appropriate actions would be taken."Original article source: Bishop's village attacked, 20 slain after recent testimony to Congress on Christian persecution
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Yeah, I've changed': Former Republican congressman runs as Democrat for governor
A former GOP congressman turned MSNBC commentator made his pitch for Florida's governorship in next year's election at a packed town hall meeting on June 9 at Florida Atlantic University's Jupiter campus. 'Yeah, I've changed,' said David Jolly, and he wants his Republican opponents to make that the centerpiece of their attacks against him. During the 90-minute moderated discussion, Jolly positioned himself as a candidate who can bridge political divides and appeal across party lines in a state that hasn't elected a Democratic governor in over three decades. Next November's election will be a battle for what will be an open seat as Gov. Ron DeSantis is term limited according to Florida's constitution. Jolly's political evolution spans what he describes as 'a period of about 10 years,' moving from registered Republican to independent to Democrat. The attorney and former lobbyist served as the Republican representative in the 13th congressional district in Southwest Florida from 2014 to 2017 before leaving Congress. Now a network political contributor, he frames his party switches as an asset. 'I want my opponents to hit me on change. 'Jolly changed.' Yeah, I did,' he said. 'Is it okay to change your mind? I think it is, and that's part of my story.' Then he pointedly added: 'You know who else has changed? Most elected Republicans have changed.' During his time as a Republican congressman, Jolly said he supported positions that put him at odds with his party as it tilted toward President Donald Trump's America first and Make America Great Again movement, which Jolly has lambasted in network appearances. 'I was a Republican in Congress who supported marriage equality, climate science, gun control, campaign finance reform,' he told The Palm Beach Post. One of Trump's most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill, Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, has already entered the race on the GOP side. The Naples congressman has the president's endorsement. Whoever the GOP nominee is will count on the party's more than 1 million-plus voter advantage over the rival Democrats. Not boding well for Jolly, either, is that the last Democratic nominee for governor, Charlie Crist, a former congressman who also was a Republican-turned-Democrat, got trounced by DeSantis in a nearly 20-point rout in November 2022. Jolly is centering his campaign on what he calls Florida's 'generational affordability crisis.' 'This is a lived experience for my wife and I. We have two young children, and I am not confident that our incumbent in Tallahassee or that the next Republican candidate for governor understands the urgency of it or a desire to fix it,' he said. This crisis transcends party lines, he argued. 'The affordability crisis doesn't know party. If you're a Democrat, independent, Republican, you're worried about your homeowners insurance, your rent, property taxes,' Jolly said His proposed solutions include a state catastrophic fund to remove hurricane and natural disaster coverage from private insurance markets. It is a proposal Jolly told the crowd that he offered in national scope during his term in Washington. 'In Congress, I introduced a national cap fund to aggregate fires out west, tornadoes in the midwest, ice in the northeast, hurricanes in the southwest into a national cap fund," he said. "It didn't pass. Republicans at the time called it socialism, I just called it cheaper insurance.' He said the fund could cut private insurance for homeowners by 50% to 60%. His platform includes education reform and social issues. He argues that 'public education has been abandoned in the state of Florida' and calls for ending what he calls 'culture wars' that target immigrant and marginalized communities. 'We have excellence today in public education only out of the sheer will and determination of public school teachers and administrators,' Jolly said. 'Politicians have tried to tell them how to teach, what to teach, what they can say. We don't respect them with pay, we don't respect them politically, and we need to be a state that celebrates public education.' At the town hall, he expanded on his social agenda. 'We have to return to a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated,' Jolly said at the town hall. 'Regardless of where you were born, the color of your skin, who you love or who you worship, we need to be a state that welcomes everyone and lifts everyone up.' On reproductive rights, Jolly supports leaving the decision up to the majority of voters, pointing to the support Florida's Amendment 4 on abortion received in November 2024. 'More than 50% of the state said they wanted it. There's no reason politicians in Tallahassee should stand in the way,' he said. The amendment received 57% support but failed to reach the required 60% threshold. The FAU event, moderated by political strategist Simon Rosenberg, drew supporters from across Florida, including some who drove from Sarasota, Fla., to hear Jolly speak. 'Bring sanity back,' said attendee and Sarasota resident Michele Zinser. 'I think [Jolly] is very calm. He listens, and I appreciate that.' Zinser, an independent, resonates with Jolly's mission to tackle the affordability crisis. 'I know he doesn't come in with a strong right-wing agenda, which is what we've been suffering in Sarasota county,' she said. 'I'm about to become a democrat, I'm afraid.' Scott Benarde, a registered Democrat, event sponsor and frequent watcher of MSNBC, attended to show support for Jolly. 'I really believe in this guy, I think he's knowledgeable, decent, honest and cares and knows what the heck he's talking about. I think he really has a shot of becoming Florida's next governor,' said Scott Benarde, a registered Democrat and event sponsor. Attendees emphasized how Jolly's Republican background could appeal to voters tired of current leadership. 'He was a Republican. He understands the republican party probably better than a lot of Democrats,' said Betsey Hull, who attended with concerns about affordable housing for her daughters. 'We need somebody that will unite the state.' With 16 months until the election, Jolly reports early conversations with national Democratic Party leadership about potential support, while working to build relationships with diverse communities across the state, including Black pastors in Orlando, Fla. 'A year from now, we'll be working with each other towards change,' he said. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: AT FAU, David Jolly embraces political shift in bid for Florida governor
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
Barbara Bush stamp is latest in USPS' presidential tradition of living history
Barbara Bush stamp is latest in USPS' presidential tradition of living history | Opinion The history of presidential stamps goes back to 1847 – as soon as Congress authorized US postage. Show Caption Hide Caption Alex Trebek honored with forever stamp The stamp will be released on July 22, on what would have been the iconic game show host's 84th birthday. Fox - Seattle A postage stamp is a small but mighty canvas, sealing history onto every envelope with a historic image, vibrant ink and adhesive. When these miniature tributes bring to our everyday lives the leaders who shaped America, they transform a routine act of mailing a letter into a celebration of the nation's past. This June, Barbara Bush joined an elite group of first ladies honored on U.S. postage. Her stamp, released for public sale June 10 in Kennebunkport, Maine ‒ her cherished summer haven and home to the Bush family compound ‒ marks what would have been her 100th birthday. Featuring her official White House portrait painted by Chas Fagan, the stamp reminds us of Mrs. Bush's legacy as a tireless advocate for literacy and family. At the May 8 White House ceremony revealing the design, first lady Melania Trump praised Barbara Bush, saying, 'Mrs. Bush's legacy is marked by her respect for tradition while also breaking with convention. While she is known for championing literacy, she also supported women's empowerment, changed the national conversation on AIDS and took a stance supporting gay rights." Who was the first president on US stamps? The tradition of presidential stamps began in 1847 as soon as Congress authorized U.S. postage. One of the first issues showcased George Washington, his image on a 10-cent stamp from Gilbert Stuart's iconic portrait. Washington reigns as the most depicted figure in U.S. stamp history, gracing over 300 issues. A rare 1922 green 3-cent Washington stamp recently sold for over $15,000. Our first president's allure continues to this day. And in 1902, Martha Washington became the first American woman on a U.S. stamp, featured on an 8-cent issue and later on an unusual 1½-cent denomination. Other first lady stamps followed, including Dolley Madison, Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford. Eleanor Roosevelt, like Barbara Bush, was honored on her 100th birthday with her global humanitarian work etched into postal history. Opinion: White House hospitality is a form of diplomacy that has evolved over time For some presidents, postal commemoration is especially befitting. Stamps were a lifelong passion of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who began collecting at age 8 ‒ a hobby sparked by his mother's own collection. Over his lifetime, he amassed 1.2 million stamps, finding solace in collecting during his recovery from polio and the crushing demands of leading America through the Great Depression and World War II. 'I owe my life to my hobbies ‒ especially stamp collecting,' FDR declared. As president, he sketched stamp designs and brainstormed with Postmaster General James A. Farley. In 1938, FDR championed the 'Presidential Series,' or 'Prexies,' featuring every deceased president to that time, from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge. A nationwide contest yielded the designs, with the winner earning $500 and making Elaine Rawlinson the first woman to have designed a U.S. stamp. FDR's legacy was swiftly honored with four stamps months after his 1945 death. Opinion: Their legacy extends across elections. Meet the people who run the White House. Stamp on our collective memory: Remembering US presidents through postage Tragedy elevates some tributes. A 5-cent stamp for John F. Kennedy, issued after his 1963 assassination, bears an eternal flame and his inaugural words: 'And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.' Printed in mournful black, it mirrors the somber design for Abraham Lincoln, another president felled by violence. Stamps and special 'first day of issue' postmarks meaningful to collectors and fans alike are often issued at sites connected to the honoree, like their presidential library. Richard Nixon's 1995 stamp was issued in Yorba Linda, California, site of his birthplace and library. George H.W. Bush was honored June 12, 2019, at his presidential library in College Station, Texas, a half-year after his state funeral burial. Today, every U.S. president is commemorated on a stamp within a year of passing. No living person is eligible; other people, including first ladies, can be honored on a stamp three years after death. No matter who the honoree or when, stamps are more than memorabilia. The Smithsonian's National Postal Museum calls them a 'looking glass' into the nation's leaders, citizens and landscapes. FDR believed stamps could broaden knowledge and enrich lives, a truth felt each time we press one to an envelope. From George and Martha Washington to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt to George and Barbara Bush, these tiny portraits keep America's iconic leaders at our fingertips, their contributions to history forever stamped on our collective memory. Stewart D. McLaurin is president of the White House Historical Association, a private nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, and is director of The People's House: A White House Experience multimedia educational center and museum.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
How Washington is stressing out American schools
Public schools have had a tough run — pandemic closures and culture wars, falling test scores and rising absenteeism. Now they're facing a host of new pressures, this time from state and federal policies including proposals for private-school vouchers, funding cuts, and scrutiny of their approaches to gender and race. Many of the issues are under consideration, either in Congress or at the Supreme Court. Some proposals may be modified, and in some cases, the court may side with the schools' point of view. Nonetheless, taken together, public education today faces a landscape skeptical of, if not outright hostile to, its policies and priorities. The shifts could put new strains on schools' budgets and change how they handle controversial topics. That's particularly true for school districts in liberal states and communities, whose policies on race and gender are being challenged. But many of the threats and changes affect conservative communities, too. Some of the policies are economic, and some are cultural. Some are narrow, and others are broad. Some are proposals, and some are already in place. But put it all together, and public school advocates say they feel like they are constantly on the defensive. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 'The attacks on public education are coming from everywhere — from the judicial branch, the executive branch, the legislative branch,' said Sasha Pudelski, director of advocacy for AASA, the School Superintendents Association. 'They're coming fast and furious.' Republicans control the White House, Congress and more than half the statehouses, and conservative justices make up a supermajority on the Supreme Court. Not all the pressures are ideological, but many are. This is certainly not the first time public education has felt pressure from Washington. Under President George W. Bush, the No Child Left Behind law imposed sweeping new accountability standards and requirements on schools with high-stakes consequences, including potential loss of federal funding. But that effort was bipartisan and came after a deliberative debate in Congress. This time, the pressure is coming from multiple directions, sometimes without warning or congressional action. Take a journey through our schoolhouse to see some of the headwinds facing K-12 education in America today. Federal funding The federal Education Department has worked to cancel billions of dollars' worth of K-12 grants and contracts that support teacher training, mental health, and education research and testing. The Trump administration said the teacher training and mental health grants wrongly funded diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. It said the education research was not a priority. And its budget proposal for next year would cut deeper: replacing $6.5 billion in programs for K-12 schools with a new $2 billion fund. The administration also is trying to cancel more than $2 billion worth of pandemic-relief funding that school districts have been counting on, a move that is being litigated. The Biden administration had given districts extra time to spend their allocated funding, a decision the Trump administration abruptly canceled. School WiFi The Supreme Court is considering a challenge to the federal E-Rate program that helps pay for school telephone and internet connectivity and represents the fifth-largest tranche of federal funding supporting K-12 schools. It is funded through the Universal Service Fund, whose funding structure is being challenged as an unconstitutional tax. School meals Congressional Republicans are considering significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, by increasing requirements for participation. The changes could put millions of people at risk of losing benefits, which would affect schools because many students are considered automatically eligible for free school meals based on their family's SNAP eligibility. The Urban Institute, a think tank, estimated that 832,000 students might need to prove their eligibility in another way if the changes take effect. In addition, the Agriculture Department cut a $660 million program that helped schools buy fresh food and meat from local farmers, ranchers and fishers. Medicaid cuts Medicaid is the state-federal health-care program for low-income Americans, but it also helps public education by reimbursing costs of care delivered in school. Republicans are planning significant cuts to Medicaid as part of their large tax and spending bill, stripping health coverage from millions of Americans. That could reduce reimbursements to the schools. It also could put new budget pressure on states, where education and health care compete for funding. Race and gender The Trump administration has threatened to pull federal funding from any school district that considers race in virtually any way for any reason, saying this is a violation of federal civil rights law. The administration had demanded that every district sign a letter affirming it is in compliance with the administration's interpretation of civil rights law, though the directive has been blocked for now by the courts. And the Education Department has launched multiple investigations of school systems that have diversity, equity and inclusion policies the administration does not like. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court may allow parents who object to lessons with LGBTQ+ themes on religious grounds to opt their children out. Schools say this would be logistically complicated, among other objections. Transgender athletes The Trump administration has said schools that recognize transgender students are advancing 'radical gender ideology' in violation of Title IX, which bars discrimination based on sex. The Trump administration has sued Maine because the state allows transgender athletes to compete in school sports, and it threatened to sue California after a 16-year-old transgender athlete placed first in two events at the state track-and-field championship. The Education Department also is investigating California and Maine for limits they put on what school districts can be required to tell parents about the names and pronouns students use at school. Students with disabilities The Supreme Court is considering a case that could make it easier for children with disabilities to win court cases in which they are challenging the accommodations offered by school districts. To win a certain type of case, families now must satisfy a high standard and show that the district, in denying the request for accommodations, acted with 'bad faith or gross misjudgment.' The challenge seeks to change the standard, which would make it easier for families to win cases against districts. Voucher programs Many states now offer parents tax dollars to pay for private schools or home schooling. A dozen states have programs that benefit all or almost all families, regardless of family income, though some are being phased in. The programs give families more choices but also provide an incentive for them to leave public schools. They also eat into state tax dollars that might have been spent on public education. A national voucher program is also under consideration at the federal level. The plan would allow federal taxpayers to donate money to state-based scholarship-granting organizations and then get their money back through a dollar-for-dollar, 100 percent tax credit. The scholarship organizations would hand out the vouchers, which could be used to pay for private school or home-school expenses. The vouchers could be offered in liberal states as well as conservative ones. Some of the Trump administration's actions may be blocked by the courts. Some of the Supreme Court cases might favor public schools. Some of the provisions in the GOP tax bill might be softened. But all in all, people on both sides of the debate agree that this is a moment of intense pressure. As a result, school officials have been forced to pay close attention to action in policy and politics, said Pudelski, of the superintendents' group. 'The message is that if you ignore what's happening in Washington, you do so at your own peril.'
