Working in media can be exhilarating for a journalist or content creator who gets to discuss hot topics with newsmakers, celebrities, or the so-called “influencers.” It can also be depressing, such as when reporting on the growing Christian persecution in Nigeria.  

Craig Syracusa, host and creator of the YouTube show “Walk in Faith,” hit that wall last year after interviewing evangelical pastor and radio host Brad Brandon, CEO of the ministry Across Nigeria. 

The interview and contacts with other sources opened Syracusa’s eyes to the anti-Christian chaos in that West African nation, where many of the victims are Catholic. 

For example, the Open Doors World Watch List has reported that out of 4,849 Christians documented as killed worldwide for their faith in recent years, 3,490 of them — about 72% — died in Nigeria. 

In addition, school kidnappings have also become a recurring threat in Nigeria in recent years. Save the Children reported that at least 10 school abductions since January 2024 have affected more than 670 children.   

That violence has also reached Catholic institutions. In November 2025, gunmen abducted 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State, in one of the country’s largest school kidnappings. 

“I did some research,” Syracusa recently told The Tablet. “All these articles started popping up, and I was wondering why people weren’t talking about this, especially when Christians were being killed at such a high rate. 

“And this has been going on for decades.” 

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The grim topic of Christian communities attacked, people murdered, others displaced, at the hands of Fulani militia, took its toll on Syracusa, but only briefly. 

“I would tell my wife, ‘Nobody wants to hear these stories,’ ” he said. “But whether it’s this or something else, like human trafficking, God is always putting these things on my heart. And then I think, ‘I have to figure out how to raise awareness.’ ” 

Subsequently, Syracusa has partnered with Across Nigeria to strategically post three billboards in high-traffic areas of Manhattan, including one in Times Square. 

They show a Nigerian woman holding a distressed baby while a church burns in the background with a message that reads, “End the genocide in Nigeria.” 

Syracusa and Brandon are quick to credit a New Jersey woman who was looking to donate money for a Christian messaging campaign. Syracusa suggested Across Nigeria, and the billboards went up just before Easter. 

Syracusa originally wanted to post them at Christmastime, but he couldn’t get the funding. A few months passed before he was connected to the New Jersey woman, who wishes to remain anonymous. 

“I always thought it was going to be some rich person who would write me the check,” Syracusa said. “Sometimes it’s just the average person, right? And we see it throughout the Bible — someone who just wants to help.” 

Brandon confirmed this campaign is making a difference. 

“We saw quite a good spike in donations after the billboards were up,” he told The Tablet.  

Brandon noted there is a viral video of a Nigerian motorist driving past the billboards and offering commentary. 

For people wondering what the donations cover, consider that Across Nigeria is a multi-service ministry in that country. Since 2018, it has helped Nigerians with education programs including a scholarship, a refugee center, church planting, and “peace tours” aimed at fostering communication between Muslims and Christians. 

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It’s risky work, said Brandon, who often goes to Nigeria to oversee the ministry’s efforts. 

He said he has received death threats, and on one recent trip, he joined his team moving from village to village, burying victims of the latest violence. 

But these services are not just for refugees in the contested “Middle Belt” region where Fulani-speaking herdsmen are known to attack Christian farmers. 

Brandon’s goal is to exemplify the love of Jesus by taking the ministry farther north into Fulani communities, which are exclusively Muslim. 

For example, one education program helps Fulani youth learn to read, write, and speak English — the official language of Nigeria — to help them secure careers, improve their lives, and contribute to their communities. 

Brandon said the ministry has lots of success stories among the Fulani. He talked about a man who previously participated in persecuting Christians. 

“He was trained to be a terrorist from the time he was very young, like a preteen,” Brandon said. “He did many acts of terrorism, but he found it to be an empty life full of turmoil and fear.” 

A chance conversation with a Christian taught the man how to release that burden through believing in Jesus Christ. 

Now, despite the risks, this man is an evangelist who shares his testimony and the love of Christ to thousands of Fulani Muslims each year, Brandon said. 

“And that’s just one guy,” Brandon said. 

Syracusa, meanwhile, keeps working to spread awareness about Nigeria, and it’s a big job, he said. A recent “man-on-the-street” interview next to one of the billboards proved the point. 

“The billboard was right in front of them, and they didn’t even know what it was about,” he said. “One said ‘I wish I would have known that. No one in school even mentioned this.’  

“They expressed love and compassion, but they had no idea.”