The Virgin Mary’s Message to Nigeria

The persecution of Christians currently taking place in Nigeria was foretold by the Blessed Virgin Mary in a church-approved apparition that many have never heard of.

In 1992, the Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl named Christiana Agbo in Aokpe, a remote village in the country’s Middle Belt. In her first message to Christiana, Mary said, “I come from Heaven. I am the refuge of sinners. I come from Heaven to gain souls for Christ and give refuge to my children in my Immaculate Heart. I want you to pray for the souls in Purgatory, and for the world, and to console Jesus. Will you accept?”

Christiana replied, “Yes” without hesitation.

The 12-year-old came from a devout, Catholic family, the ninth of ten children. Prayer was at the center of the Agbo family’s life. Aokpe (pronounced ah-OK-peh) was a small, predominantly Catholic village where the Rosary was recited devoutly. But despite their deep faith, the people of Aokpe couldn’t fathom their tiny village receiving a celestial visitation, so when Christiana’s visions became public knowledge, they were attributed to evil spirits.

As word of Christiana’s visions spread, she faced criticism and public admonishment from the parish priest, an English missionary who was a great devotee of Mary. Her family was ostracised by the community, and visits to the apparition area were banned.

Meanwhile, Christiana continued to receive visits from Our Lady.

Christiana’s mother, Regina, knew that her family had been faithful to God and didn’t believe that her daughter was being visited by an evil spirit. To confirm this, she instructed Christiana to ask the Lady to pray the Rosary with her when she next appeared, trusting in its power against evil. Mary appeared to Christiana again, still in October, the month of the Rosary. Christiana describes the vision as that of a beautiful woman wearing a blue dress, with a shining blue veil that covered her head, back, and shoulders. Her hands were clasped on her breast, and she held a Rosary. Amazed at the sight of her, Christiana completely forgot her mother’s instructions.

Christiana could speak very little English at the time, but Mary spoke in her native dialect of Idoma, saying, “I am the Holy Mother, I come from Heaven, I am the refuge of sinners. The time of giving my name has not yet come. The name I will bring will be a powerful one. Do not be afraid. Now, Christiana, where is your Rosary?” Christiana ran to her parents’ bedroom, grabbed her mother’s Rosary and returned to Our Lady. Together they prayed, with Mary saying only the Glory Be, uttering the words with the whole of her being, as if God were before her.

Archbishop John Onaiyekan soon became apprised of the situation and began investigations. Christiana was given psychiatric examinations and was questioned intensively by a team of clergymen, one of whom was her parish priest, who was a great skeptic. As she shared Mary’s messages with them, however, the clergymen were surprised to find them not only theologically sound but possessing a wisdom and understanding far beyond that of a 12-year-old farm girl.

The investigations continued intensively over several years. Meanwhile, Mary’s visits to Christiana continued, and her family continued to suffer many humiliations from their fellow villagers. Weary, Christiana asked Our Blessed Mother to give the people a sign so that they would believe. Mary, in response, told Christiana that a sign would be given in the form of a Eucharistic miracle, which would occur on August 4th, and the day would become a special day of grace.

News of the expected sign spread throughout Aokpe and the surrounding villages. On August 4th, 1994, a large crowd gathered around the Agbo family property in anticipation of what was to occur. Several photographers were present, including a representative of the archbishop, who was positioned front and center. The following is an account from Christiana.

I saw the Angel bringing the Host, and the Host was bigger than the one we normally receive. The closer the Host came to me, the smaller the Host became, and when I was about to receive it, it became normal size. I kept my tongue flat, as Our Lady had previously requested, so it could be photographed.

Everyone watched as a Host appeared out of thin air onto Christiana’s tongue, and the miracle was captured on film.

As the Eucharistic miracle took place, a phenomenon occurred simultaneously in the skies of Aokpe. Thousands of pilgrims gazed in amazement as the sun appeared to dance. Over a period of years, eight separate solar miracles were recorded in Aokpe, each occurring in conjunction with Mary’s appearances to Christiana, which took place publicly. After these extraordinary events, the people could no longer deny that something miraculous was taking place in Aokpe. Mary’s apparition in Aokpe was approved by Bishop Fidelis Orgah in 1999, and public pilgrimages to the site were authorized.

After the public miracles in Aokpe, many conversions took place, and there was an increase in vocations. Our Lady requested that a grotto be constructed, and permission to do so was given by the local ordinary. This grotto was and continues to be the site of many miraculous healings in Aokpe.

On one occasion, Jesus appeared to Christiana. Our Lord said:

Your trust in Mary should be immense, knowing that by the will of God, her power is without limit. Through the graces God has bestowed on her, you approach the Eternal Father more faithfully. All that I could have given her, I have given her, and all that she is able to receive, she has received in fullness. If you ask anything from her, you are acknowledging the power of Divine Grace. She is the spouse of the Holy Spirit and she channels all graces. All such gifts you receive you owe to a positive intervention on her part. She has the power to obtain anything for you from my hands. She is the woman who has greatly humbled herself. At prayer, ask her for her intercession, as she will present all your requests to God. She is close to the heart of God. At Mass, she is always present. I have come to explain her position in the Church, and that she should be highly honored as the spouse of the Holy Spirit.

On November 4th, 1995, Mary finally revealed her title at Aokpe, saying:

Honor me here as the Mediatrix of all graces from God, to be passed on through me to the children of God.

Our Blessed Mother came from heaven to win souls for Christ. Included in her many messages at Aokpe were a call for her children to pray, especially the Rosary, to attend Mass frequently, and to receive the sacraments regularly. Our Lady spoke of Jesus’ mercy and pleaded for repentance. At times, Christiana explained, Mary appeared tearful because of the souls that would be lost. Christiana also experienced a six-hour vision of heaven, hell, and purgatory, parts of which are detailed in St. Carlo Acutis’s exhibition of Marian apparitions throughout the world.

Mary’s appearance in Aokpe is especially poignant. Aokpe is located in Benue State, an area in Central Nigeria known as the “middle belt” where the predominantly Muslim North and the predominantly Christian South meet. In this region, Christians are continuously persecuted for their faith. Muslims who are viewed as too moderate are also being brutally murdered. I recently spoke about Nigeria’s genocide in an interview with Live Action founder Lila Rose.

At the time of Mary’s appearances in Aokpe, the persecutions of Christians in Nigeria had not yet begun, but I suspected that her appearances there were no mere coincidence. I was struck by a particular message from Our Lady to Christiana:

Pray in this great period when the devil is everywhere. Pray that I may hide you in my Immaculate Heart. Come closer to my Immaculate Heart. Pray especially for the time that is coming, the time of great darkness that I may cover you with my Immaculate Heart. Pray because of those the devil has already captured, those who are dead in sin. My little child, pray that the light of the Holy Spirit will be enkindled in their hearts. Pray now, my little children so that you may understand my coming here.

I wondered whether Mary’s message was a foretelling of the persecutions currently taking place in Nigeria, similar to her foretelling of the genocide in Rwanda. Unable to find any insights about this online, I called my aunt, Reverend Sister Mary Rita Abang. Sr. Rita is 87 years old, has been a religious sister for 55 years, and has lived in Nigeria her entire life. If anyone had information about Aokpe, I knew it would be her.

To my amazement, Sr. Rita revealed that her late sister, Rev. Sr. Theresa, was a spiritual mother to Christiana. Together with my grandparents, Sr. Rita and Sr. Theresa visited Aokpe on November 4th, 1995, and witnessed Christiana having a vision publicly. The moment Mary appeared, Christiana dropped to her knees, instantly entering a trance-like state and conversing with Our Lady. Although there were tens of thousands of pilgrims present, “You could hear a pin drop,” Sr. Rita explained. Overhead, the sun seemed to swirl, and the sky displayed many beautiful colors. The sisters marveled as their white habits also appeared to change color, reflecting the radiant hues of the sky. Sr. Rita said, “You knew that you were on holy ground.”

Sr. Rita had Christiana’s contact information and quickly introduced us. Our conversations took place over the phone and through video conference, though I look forward to meeting her in person during my next visit to Nigeria.

I learned that Mary’s final appearance to Christiana was in 2004. Today, she is 46 years old and a happily married mother of three. When we first spoke, it was quickly apparent that I was speaking to someone who had been especially touched by grace. Christiana had a serene countenance and deep spirituality. As I told her about my six children, Christiana sweetly encouraged my husband and me to pray with them regularly and to teach them the faith. When I mentioned that our family recites the Rosary together every evening, she let out an audible sigh. I imagined that Our Lady’s words to her about the importance of the Rosary were still fresh in her mind:

Those of my children who pray the Rosary frequently will receive many graces. Satan will not be able to approach them. My children, when you are assailed by great temptations and problems, take your Rosary to me and your problems will be solved. Every time you say “Hail Mary full of Grace” you will receive many graces from me. Those who will recite the Rosary will never be damned.

Christiana confirmed the information that I had found during my research and provided many new details. I asked her whether Our Lady’s appearances in Aokpe were somehow connected to the current persecutions in Nigeria. To my surprise, Christiana revealed that during one of Mary’s visits, she experienced a horrific vision of men (whom she identified as Muslim, based on their traditional attire) brutally murdering masses of innocent Nigerians, and she immediately reported what she saw to Aokpe’s senior clergymen.

As I mentioned, during the time of Mary’s appearances in Aokpe, the mass persecution of Christians by Muslim extremists had not yet begun. Boko Haram, Nigeria’s first jihadist militant group, was founded in 2002. Others would follow in the years to come, such as the Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), who continue to kill innocent Nigerians. Christians are persecuted for their faith, with churches burned down and attacks increasing during major Christian feast days. There are many tragic reports of pregnant women, babies, and children being viciously slaughtered or abducted.

It is estimated that over 300,000 Nigerians have been killed by Islamic terrorists since 2009, and millions have been displaced from their homes as a result of the terrorist attacks. They now reside in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps that lack access to sufficient water, food, and healthcare, and are poorly sanitized. In Benue State, where Aokpe is located, over 2 million people have been displaced.

Our Blessed Mother’s message to Christiana of “dark days to come” was indeed a foretelling of the brutal and long-lasting persecution of innocent Nigerians at the hands of Muslim extremists. The massacres in Nigeria occur regularly with minimal intervention from the Nigerian government, which insists that the violence is not directed specifically at Christians. Christiana shared that Our Lady was saddened by Nigeria’s leaders who live in extreme wealth while their citizens suffer from poverty and hunger.

Though there are still many living witnesses to the miracles in Aokpe, Our Lady’s appearances there are rarely discussed today, and her messages to Christiana are nearly forgotten. This is unfortunate because they are needed now more than ever. The answers to the outrages taking place in Nigeria are contained in Mary’s messages in Aokpe. Nigeria’s faithful must remember our Blessed Mother’s urging for all to pray the Rosary fervently for the conversion of sinners and for peace in their country. And we, the faithful throughout the world, must recite it daily for our persecuted brethren, for peace in our own nations, and for peace within our families. As Our Lady said in Fatima:

Pray the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of the war.

The Blessed Mother told Christiana that her name in Aokpe would be a powerful one. As Mediatrix of All Graces, we trust in Mary’s God-given power and ability to intercede to God for us during difficult times. The Rosary is a powerful means to obtain these graces as we meditate on Jesus’ life, passion, and death in each mystery and draw closer to Him through His mother with each Hail Mary. The Rosary is the answer.

Our Lady’s final message to Christiana is for all those who are suffering in Nigeria and throughout the world.

I am with you always. Sometimes the cross will be heavy and at other times it will be light. Offer all to Jesus, for in terms of God’s time none of it will last for more than a moment. Remember always to call upon me. Do not let the evil one make you forget to call upon your ever-faithful Mother in Heaven.

Our Lady, Mediatrix of all graces from God, help us always to do the will of Jesus, so that we may share in His glory.