Hours before giving birth to her first child, a 22-year-old mother became a widow after an Islamic Fulani militia attacked her rural community in Nigeria. The attack, which occurred between June 21 and June 22, claimed 22 lives. 

On June 21, Longdi ThankGod and her 26-year-old husband headed to a clinic, excitedly preparing for the birth of their baby. Her husband’s brother, father, mother, and grandmother came along to support them through the long hours of labor. 

At 12:10 a.m., dozens of men arrived on foot, dressed in military fatigues. The group, which witnesses said spoke Fulani and Hausa, carried AK-style rifles and machine guns into the town. They shouted Islamic slogans as they ran toward the clinic. 

“I heard some hard knocks on the door and thought it was the doctor struggling with the door because he had complained about its stiffness when he walked in,” ThankGod said. “Just a moment later, they came straight in and hit my husband’s grandmother to the ground before I realized it was a much bigger problem before us.” 

Ignoring the sharp pains of her contractions, ThankGod ran for her life. Attackers killed the doctor, ThankGod’s husband, and his family. Some of the attackers then tried to pursue her. Miraculously, ThankGod escaped and took refuge with a family. 

The assailants left around 4:15 a.m., after killing 22 people, including a pastor and others who lived in the neighborhood. 

ThankGod was taken to a nearby hospital. At 2 p.m., she gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named Na’anbammun, which means “God saved us.” 

That day, ThankGod became a mother not just to her child but to four of the eight of her husband’s living siblings who are still minors. For now, they are living at the home of her husband’s widowed aunt. 

Ongoing Persecution

Since 2013, Fulani herdsmen and Nigerian government officials have claimed that violence between Islamic Fulani and Christians comes down to herdsmen and farmers warring over access to land and water.  

However, residents said the Christian farmers in the village did not engage in cattle killing, rustling, or murdering Fulani individuals at any time before the vicious onslaught. Open Doors has ranked Nigeria as the seventh most dangerous place to be a Christian. 

Story by Bella Agnello 

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