In Nigeria a notable movement is unfolding: men who once engaged in violence and jihadist activity are now disciples and evangelists of Jesus Christ, according to reporting by CBN News. According to YWAM, former militants are being trained and deployed in church-planting and restoration work in a country long afflicted by terror.
In the north of Nigeria, numerous villages were attacked by extremist groups such as Boko Haram. Men were killed and girls abducted. Entire communities lived in fear for years.
On YWAM’s base in the region many widows gather whose husbands were murdered in the attacks.
YWAM-leader Paul Dangtoudma indicates that their area of work was once known to be extremely dangerous. Villages were destroyed and many families displaced. Yet he and his wife felt called by God to build there. Today the region has become a centre for discipleship and restoration.
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A large part of the YWAM team consists of men who formerly belonged to militant groups. One of them had been involved in occult rituals, later became a leader in a militia, but eventually gave his life to Jesus. He asked forgiveness of the wives of men he had killed and now helps others walk the same path of change.
Additionally, YWAM provides help to thousands of widows — through trauma care and practical support. Slowly but surely restoration is taking hold in a region once dominated by fear and violence.
The stories emerging from Nigeria show that even in the most broken situations, change is possible. According to Dangtoudma, Nigeria will through this movement become an example for other countries: a place where Jesus renews lives and where peace grows in areas once controlled by terror.
