5/28/2013 Washington, D.C. (International Christian
Concern) – Nigeria continues to own the shameful title of being the deadliest
place to be a Christian. In 2012, 70% of Christians murdered due to persecution
were killed in Nigeria. This deadly fact is characterized by the brutal murder
of Rev. Faye Pama Musa who was followed home by suspected Boko Haram militants
and shot. News of the murder spread hours after Nigeria’s President Goodluck
Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three of Nigeria’s northern states
most affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
After the pastor entered his house, the gunmen climbed over the pastor’s fence and broke in. The gunmen then dragged the pastor out of his home and shot him outside. According to a report by Morning Star News, Rev. Faye Pama was executed in front of his daughter, who followed the assailants outside, begging for her father’s life.
Rev. Faye Pama was likely targeted by the militants attached to the Islamic extremist group because of his outspoken criticism of Boko Haram’s targeting of Christians and the discrimination against Christians in northern Nigeria. In a 2007 interview, the pastor said that he would not leave Borno state even though the state was a safe haven for extremists who posed a danger to both his life and his ministry. “Being [an officer in CAN] and being so vocal, he must have been a marked man,” Mark Lipdo, Director of the Stefanos Foundation, observed in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.
At the age of 47, Rev. Faye Pama is survived by his wife and three children. Fearing further attacks, the pastor’s family is unsure what to do or where to go next. “I am right now with his family, and they are still consulting on what next to do,” Rev. Pona told Morning Star News.
Christian Leader in Northern Nigeria Gunned
Down
After finishing his evening Bible study at his church on May 15 in Borno
state’s capital, Maiduguri, Rev. Faye Pama, the Secretary of the Borno state
chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), began traveling home for
the night. According to Rev. Titus Dama Pona, the chairman of CAN’s Borno
chapter, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram militants followed the pastor
home.After the pastor entered his house, the gunmen climbed over the pastor’s fence and broke in. The gunmen then dragged the pastor out of his home and shot him outside. According to a report by Morning Star News, Rev. Faye Pama was executed in front of his daughter, who followed the assailants outside, begging for her father’s life.
Rev. Faye Pama was likely targeted by the militants attached to the Islamic extremist group because of his outspoken criticism of Boko Haram’s targeting of Christians and the discrimination against Christians in northern Nigeria. In a 2007 interview, the pastor said that he would not leave Borno state even though the state was a safe haven for extremists who posed a danger to both his life and his ministry. “Being [an officer in CAN] and being so vocal, he must have been a marked man,” Mark Lipdo, Director of the Stefanos Foundation, observed in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.
At the age of 47, Rev. Faye Pama is survived by his wife and three children. Fearing further attacks, the pastor’s family is unsure what to do or where to go next. “I am right now with his family, and they are still consulting on what next to do,” Rev. Pona told Morning Star News.
Nigeria Declares a State of Emergency
Hours before Rev. Faye Pama was murdered, Nigeria’s President Goodluck
Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three of Nigeria’s northern states,
including the state where the pastor was killed. This declaration followed a gun
battle between the military and Boko Haram in Borno state last month that some
claim killed more than 100 civilians. Borno state governor Kassim Shettima
reportedly told senators and military officials that Boko Haram was on the verge
of seizing control in his state(Keep Reading).
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