by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ABUJA (Worthy News) – A growing number of Islamic militants are abandoning terrorism and turning to the Christian faith in Nigeria, one of the world’s most dangerous countries for Christians, according to a new documentary by a global mission group.
Youth With A Mission (YWAM) produced the film “GO Africa: Skyboy and the Woman of Honor,” portraying both the brutality of extremist violence and what missionaries describe as stories of repentance among militants who abandoned violence and healing among widows of murdered pastors.
The production includes testimonies from former child soldiers who describe how they “surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ” after encounters with missionaries and local believers.
The project also honors the wives of pastors beheaded in northern Nigeria. Up to 150 widows reportedly travel to a YWAM base every six months to receive counseling, prayer support, and trauma care.
Its release comes amid renewed international attention on Nigeria after U.S. President Donald J. Trump redesignated the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” over religious persecution.
TRUMP ORDERS STRIKES IN NIGERIA
In late 2025, Trump ordered U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Nigeria and earlier warned that military action could follow continued attacks on Christians.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years,” Trump announced on Christmas Day, December 25.
He added: “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes.”
The strikes targeted Islamic State-linked militants in Sokoto State in north-western Nigeria, according to U.S. Africa Command.
FILM DEPICTS VIOLENCE
The documentary depicts the harsh realities facing Christian communities in parts of Nigeria where militant attacks have devastated villages and churches.
Mission workers featured in the film recount communities where pastors were killed, churches burned, and families displaced by extremist violence.
“Many churches and pastors were killed and the wives left without their husbands, who were beheaded,” Rachel Dangtoudma explains in the documentary, available online on platforms such as YouTube.
Her husband, Paul Dangtoudma, who moved from Burkina Faso to help establish a mission base in Nigeria, recalls that the region where they began working was widely considered too dangerous for outsiders.
“When God called us to go to that place, it was a no-go zone full of violence. A lot of people lost their lives there. Many villages were destroyed. Young people lost their lives. There was a lot of chaos,” Dangtoudma recounts.
STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION
Yet alongside these accounts of violence, the documentary highlights testimonies of militants who later renounced extremism and embraced Christianity.
Mission workers describe encounters in which former attackers sought forgiveness from widows whose husbands had been killed during assaults on churches.
One missionary recalls meeting roughly 6,000 widows whose husbands, many of them pastors, were slain in attacks on Christian communities.
The documentary also shows how some fighters later joined discipleship training programs and began participating in evangelistic outreach or church leadership.
Several graduates of YWAM programs have gone on to serve as pastors, worship leaders, or Christian workers in Nigeria and elsewhere, despite ongoing deadly violence in the African nation.
NIGERIA DEADLIEST FOR CHRISTIANS
Christian advocacy group Open Doors identifies Nigeria as one of the most dangerous places in the world for believers.
Nigeria ranks 7th on the Open Doors World Watch List, which tracks the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.
The organization estimates that 3,490 Christians were killed for their faith in Nigeria during the latest reporting period, out of 4,849 worldwide, meaning most faith-related killings occurred in the African nation.
Violence has been concentrated in parts of northern and central Nigeria, including Borno, Kaduna, Plateau, and Benue states, where militants and armed bandits have repeatedly attacked villages and churches.
The film “GO Africa” is directed by David L. Cunningham, the son of YWAM founder Loren Cunningham and an American filmmaker known for producing faith-based and historical films.
DESCRIBING A VISION
Loren Cunningham founded Youth With A Mission in 1960 together with his wife Darlene after describing a vision of young people spreading the Christian message across the world.
Since then, YWAM has grown into one of the world’s largest missionary networks, operating training bases in numerous countries and establishing the University of the Nations to train missionaries globally.
Those involved in the project believe Nigeria — despite the violence — could eventually become a major source of missionaries to the rest of the world.
“Nigeria will impact the world,” one mission leader reflects in the film. “There will be a lot of missionaries being released around the world.”
Besides being available online, the film is being screened in more than 240 locations across six continents, according to its producers.
The production, funded by donors, is not suitable for children “because of depictions of real violence and demonic spiritual rituals,” filmmakers warn.
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