Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 23 April 2025

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters. 

Understanding and mitigating the risk of fraud in not-for-profit organizations 

Not-for-profit organizations often operate with limited staff, tight budgets, and a heavy reliance on external funding and volunteers, all of which can leave them surprisingly open to fraud. Common internal schemes include financial statement manipulation where leaders falsify records to appear healthier and attract more donations asset misappropriation such as embezzlement by staff tasked both with recording and depositing funds, and corruption through vendor kickbacks or bribery. The 2024 ACFE report found that not-for-profits experienced 164 fraud cases with a median loss of $76,000 and an average loss of $611,000, and were the most frequently fined of all organizational types. These frauds are driven by the “fraud triangle” factors of pressure, opportunity, and rationalization. Limited oversight relying on volunteer boards without deep financial expertise further exacerbates risk. To safeguard their missions and reputations, not-for-profits must strengthen internal controls, clarify segregation of duties, enhance oversight, and foster an ethical culture that discourages fraudulent behavior. 

Analyst Comments: By examining how the fraud triangle elements manifest in the not‑for‑profit context and by leveraging both cultural and technological levers organizations can develop targeted, cost‑effective strategies to safeguard assets and maintain donor confidence.  

More Than 170 Christians Killed During Lent, Easter in Nigeria 

On April 22, 2025, the International Christian Concern (ICC) reported that over 170 Christians were killed in Nigeria during the Lent and Easter seasons. Key points include: 

• Timeframe: Attacks occurred between February and April 2025, encompassing the Christian holy periods of Lent and Easter. 
• Location: Violence was concentrated in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and the North, particularly in the states of Plateau, Kaduna, Benue, and Zamfara. 
• Perpetrators: Militant Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram-affiliated jihadist groups were primarily blamed for the massacres, often targeting villages and churches. 
• Methodology: Attackers used firearms, machetes, and arson raiding homes, burning churches, and killing worshippers both during services and in their residences. 
• Victim Profile: The majority of victims were unarmed civilians’ men, women, and children attending Easter services or displaced Christians living in makeshift camps. 
• Displacement: The violence forced thousands of Christians to flee their homes; many sought refuges in camps with inadequate food, shelter, or medical care. 
• Government Response: Critics argue that Nigerian security forces have been slow to respond or have failed to protect vulnerable communities, leading to calls for more robust intervention. 
• International Reaction: The ICC and other rights groups have condemned the attacks and urged the Nigerian government and international community to take decisive action to protect religious minorities and hold perpetrators accountable. 

Analyst Comments: Attacks timed to coincide with Lent and Easter periods of heightened vulnerability when congregation gather amplify fear within the community. This pattern mirrors previous incident in Nigeria suggesting militant groups deliberately exploit religious observances to maximize casualties and psychological trauma. As we noted in our recent Threat Level Statement “We continue to have concerns over the widespread acts of hostility and open threats to faith-based organizations based on their religious identity and political beliefs – (including antisemitism, islamophobia, anti-Christian, anti-Hindu and anti-Sikh sentiment, etc.), which can be heightened in this period of major holidays for many religions around the world.” Protecting houses of worship during high‑risk periods of major religious observances requires a multi‑layered strategy that blends physical security measures, community engagement, and coordination with authorities. The FB-ISAO resource library provides references to “Securing facilities and people”.  

Evacuation orders lifted as fast-moving New Jersey wildfire burns 

A fast-moving brush fire ignited Thursday afternoon near Exit 80 on the Garden State Parkway in Jackson Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. Dry, windy conditions helped the flames spread quickly into adjacent wooded areas. Officials ordered the evacuation of approximately 300 homes in the Eagleswood and Forked River areas. Southbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway were shut down for several hours to allow emergency vehicles to access containment lines and protect motorists. More than a dozen fire companies along with state forest fire service crews deployed engines, water tenders, and bulldozers. Aerial water drops from state helicopters aided ground crews in creating firebreaks. Early estimates reported that around 200–250 acres of pine barrens and brush were scorched. No civilian injuries have been reported, but three firefighters sustained minor heat-related injuries and were treated on scene. 

Analyst Comments: When preparing and protecting critical community assets places of worship, businesses, and homes against emergencies like wildfires, severe weather, or security threats, it’s essential to adopt layered, context‑specific measures. Emergency planning and drills are a way to prepare for emergencies like wildfires, by developing an Emergency Operation Plan, covering evacuation routes, shelter-in-place protocols there will be a strength in operational preparedness. 

• Resources: Wildfires 
• Wildfire Safety 
• Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans