ICC Note: The depth of the persecution that Christians face in Nigeria, especially in the Northeast and other regions with a strong Boko Haram presence, often escapes our full comprehension. Unfortunately, even for the case of Christian wife Agnes, who had to see with her own eyes the vile murder of her own son and husband, the suffering hardly eases once Boko Haram finishes ravaging the village. She and many others widows face the reality of losing their homes and family belongings in the aftermath of their husbands’ deaths, making it an unthinkably difficult task for them to still care for young children with almost no resources and untreated trauma haunting their daily lives. The fact that the deceased men’s families are often the ones pulling away her family belongings adds a level of emotional complexity and hardship to the situation.

8/5/2016 Nigeria (WorldWatchMonitor) – Forty-something Agnes, from Benue state in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, was married to university lecturer John while still young; the couple had nine children.

One morning in 2008 Agnes rose to hear repeated shouts of “Allahu Akbar [Allah is the greatest]!”

“When you hear that, you know something [terrible] is going to happen,” Agnes told World Watch Monitor.

Extremist Muslims surrounded her neighbourhood. The couple joined others as they tried to flee, but they suddenly found themselves deep in the heart of a Muslim-dominated area.

A man forced Agnes and the younger children into a building; John and their two eldest sons remained outside. Before entering, Agnes saw John and one son being stabbed to death.

“They hit my husband on the head and stabbed him in the side. I witnessed it. As soon as they stabbed them, I closed my eyes and called on Jesus. I couldn’t help myself.”

Agnes’ story is a familiar one to Rebecca Dali, wife of the President of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN), to which most of the kidnapped Chibok girls belonged. She runs the Centre for Caring, Empowerment and Peace Initiatives, CCEPI, which serves mainly widows and orphans. She told World Watch Monitor: “Widows are particularly vulnerable in north-east Nigeria, the area most affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. For many, the loss of their husband is the beginning of hardship for them and their children, who may not then be able to get an education.

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