A respected Nigerian physician is challenging the BBC over what he calls a pattern of minimizing the violent persecution of Christians in Nigeria, raising alarms about how global institutions shape the world’s understanding of spiritual warfare and targeted attacks on believers.
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Dr. Courage Uhunmwangho, a consultant physician and university lecturer who has treated victims of jihadist violence for more than two decades, wrote to U.K. officials accusing the BBC of “systematic under-reporting and mis-framing” of anti-Christian atrocities. He warned that the network’s coverage has caused “significant reputational damage,” adding, “No longer is the BBC seen as impartial… but as an organization with a deep-seated anti-Christian ideology.”
His complaint centers on BBC articles that suggested President Donald Trump’s statements on Christian persecution were merely a theory “circulating in recent weeks and months in some right-wing US circles,” and that there was “no evidence” Christians were being targeted. Dr. Uhunmwangho says this framing ignores overwhelming documentation from researchers and human rights groups.
He pointed to statistics from Open Doors International showing Christians in northern Nigeria are 6.5 times more likely to be killed than Muslims, and a report from Intersociety noting jihadists have destroyed more than 19,000 churches and killed 125,000 Christians since 2009. For him, this is not abstract data. “Our first major exposure to this wave of violence in Jos was in 2001,” he wrote, recalling being trapped for days amid bombings and fires.
The dispute highlights a deeper spiritual concern: a growing global reluctance to acknowledge Christian persecution for what it is. When mass killings of believers are recast as “generic insecurity,” the religious motive is erased—and with it, the urgency for the Church to intercede. Scripture warns that deception and hostility toward followers of Jesus will increase, and Nigeria stands as one of the clearest examples.
Dr. Uhunmwangho is calling for an independent review of the BBC’s coverage and wants the broadcaster to appear before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee to explain its editorial decisions. The BBC responded by saying it reports on Nigerian violence using “robust evidence” and a range of sources.
Still, for Christians on the ground, the disconnect remains stark. Their suffering is real. Their faithfulness is costly. And their stories demand to be told honestly.
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This is a moment for believers everywhere to pray, stay informed and stand with the persecuted Church—ensuring the voices of those facing danger for the name of Christ are not lost in the noise of global narratives.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
