Unshaken Faith: A Nigerian Woman Stand for Christ

October 22, 2025 OLAOLUWA AYOMIDE

Faith Under Fire: The Story of a Woman Who Refused to Deny Christ

In the heart of northeastern Nigeria, where faith is often tested by fear; one woman’s courage continues to echo through the valleys of pain and persecution. Her name is Murna Yusuf, a believer who chose Christ over compromise, even in the face of death.

A Journey Interrupted by Terror

It was a humid afternoon in July 2021 when Murna boarded a bus traveling from Kukar-Gadu in Yobe State to Maiduguri, Borno State. The road, though familiar, was one shadowed by danger,an area frequently targeted by Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group that has ravaged northern Nigeria for more than a decade.

As the bus approached a quiet stretch of road, gunshots rang out. Within minutes, heavily armed militants emerged from the surrounding bushes, halting the vehicle and ordering everyone out. Fear gripped the passengers as the attackers began searching their bags for valuables, and for signs of Christian faith.

When one of the militants pulled out a worn, well-used Bible from Murna’s bag, silence fell. “They asked if I was a Christian,” Murna recalls softly, her eyes misting at the memory. “I was not going to deny Jesus for anything, not even for Boko Haram.”

Her response, though calm, carried the weight of eternity. The militants threw her Bible back at her and barked, “Pick it up.” Then, they separated her from the others, most of whom were Muslims, and led her into the forest.

Faith That Refuses to Bow

For days, Murna was kept under harsh conditions, surrounded by hostility and fear. Yet, she held firmly to her faith. “I prayed in my heart every moment,” she said. “I told Jesus, ‘If this is how I will see You, let Your will be done.’”

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In a place where Christian converts are beaten, enslaved, or killed, her courage shone brightly. What was meant to break her faith instead deepened it. “Each time they threatened me, I remembered how Jesus suffered for me,” she said. “That gave me strength.”

Miraculous Deliverance

After several days, government troops clashed with the insurgents in a surprise raid. Amid the chaos, Murna managed to escape with a few others. Exhausted but alive, she trekked for hours until she found help. Her survival, she says, was nothing short of divine intervention.
“I should have died there,” she testifies. “But God preserved me to tell this story, that Jesus saves and never abandons His own.”

The Cost of Following Christ

Murna’s experience is one among thousands across Nigeria’s conflict-torn northeast, where believers face daily persecution for their faith. Yet, stories like hers remind the global Church that Christianity thrives even in adversity. The blood of martyrs and the tears of the persecuted have always been the seed of revival.

In her own words:

“They took my freedom for a while, but they couldn’t take my faith. I still carry my Bible everywhere I go.”

A Call to Pray for the Persecuted Church

As believers, we are called to stand with those who suffer for the name of Christ. Pray for Murna and countless others in Nigeria and beyond—those who choose faith over fear, love over hate, and Jesus over life itself.