6 Abducted in Nigeria’s Latest School Attack

May these 6 people be returned to their families.

For more on how to pray for Our Nigerian brethren in Christ; click here: 5 Ways To Pray for Nigerian Christians

 11/02/2021 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – On Tuesday, gunmen raided the staff quarters of the University of Abuja in central Nigeria and kidnapped six people.

“Suspected bandits attacked the staff quarters of the university in the early hours of today. We have a report that four of our staff and their children were, nevertheless, abducted,” the university said on its Facebook page.

The attack took place close to the Nigerian Army’s barracks.

“The eyewitness who pleaded anonymity said the bandits operated for over an hour and 30 minutes,” said Sahara Reporters.

“The bewildered residents of the staff quarters and neighbors tried without success to reach out to security agents… some soldiers finally responded after the bandits had a free reign without resistance…a public primary school behind the quarters was used by the bandits as their operational base while the assault lasted.”

Over 1,400 students have been abducted just this year in Nigeria—a sharp increase over previous years in what is a relatively new trend. The mass abduction of schoolchildren began in 2014 when the Islamist terror group Boko Haram abducted 276 mostly Christian girls from a school in Chibok.

The rate of kidnappings has increased as armed groups realize its effectiveness in grabbing headlines and raising cash through the extortion of parents or state governments for ransom money.

No level of the Nigerian government has demonstrated any real ability to push back against this trend.  The Nigerian national government is considering legislation that would criminalize paying ransoms for the return of abducted schoolchildren. If passed, the bill would amend the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011 by making paying ransoms a felony punishable by a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Critics of the proposed legislation believe it misses the point. They argue that the fundamental problem at play is the lack of effective security measures  and law enforcement, not desperate parents trying to get their children back.

The Nigerian government has had an inconsistent narrative on kidnappings and ransoms over the years. Though it officially condemns the practice, the government regularly pays ransoms. Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State even publicly boasted that he is in contact with certain Fulani militants and paid them to stop specific attacks. Whatever the truth of that claim, however, attacks have increased under el-Rufai’s governorship.

5 Ways to Pray for Christians in Nigeria

Since, I have mentioned Nigeria numerous times in previous articles, it’s about time I gave an article on how we can pray for them.

Nigeria is a religiously divided country. It is country where about 50% are our brethren in Christ and 50% are Muslims. The south is majority Christian and the North is majority Muslim. The fact that 80 million know Christ as Lord is courtesy of missionary work and people taking the gospel with them after being enslaved and having slavery abolished in Britain in 1833. Our brethren in Northern Nigeria are being horribly persecuted. The main persecutors are Boko Haram and Fulani herdsman. The second group has committed more acts of violence in the past two years against our brethren in Christ than any other group globally (and considering that there are groups like Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban out there, that’s saying something). Their goal is a Sharia-ruled nation and they have the middle states in mind to make this happen.

This has resulted in multiple horrendous attacks. In February 2019, an Anglican priest was abducted along with the rest of his family. He was killed and his family’s whereabouts are unknown.

At 5:40 pm in April 2019, Boko Haram invaded the mostly Christian Kuda community in Madagali, Adamawa State. 23 people died, 20 of whom knew the Lord, and about 30 houses were set on fire. Residents sought refuge in Gulak and other places.

In Lau LGA, Taraba State, tensions rose between a radical Fulani herder and a farmer. This resulted in reprisal attacks that lasted for weeks and resulted in 65 people dying. It also lead to 18 burned villages (15 buildings of which were churches and 2 were elementary schools). Security forces that were deployed there did not intervene.

Our brethren in Christ in Nigeria are suffering horribly. In light of the aforementioned persecution, here are 5 ways to pray for our Nigerian brethren in Christ the Lord:

1. Pray for those effected by the violence committed against them by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsman. Violence perpetrated by these groups against our brethren leads to physical injury, loss of life and physical property. Pray that God will be provider of their spiritual and physical needs.

2. Be thankful to the Lord that MOST of our brethren in Christ live in the south where freedom of religion is respected. Pray that they will engage with their brothers in Northern Nigeria to help them deal with terrorism and bring them freedom of religion.

3. Lots of women are in captivity by Boko Haram. Pray that they will be released and those who have been released or managed to escape will be given physical and emotional treatment.

4. Pray that our Nigerian brethren in Christ will be able to withstand pressure to give up their faith and that they will respond to their challenges in a way that glorifies God.

5. Pray that our brethren in Christ will be given boldness to preach the gospel to the Muslims, even the more militant ones.



May we remember ALL of our brethren in Christ in lands where they are heavily persecuted for loving Jesus Christ, even with this pandemic going on.

Suspected Fulani Militants Kill 4 in Bassa District Attack

Having to deal with a pandemic and militants? I would hate to be these people.

04/09/2020 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Yesterday, April 8th, gunmen believed to be Fulani militants attacked Ngbra-zongo village of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. The attack was the second in the last month on the village. During this attack, the gunmen killed at least four people, including the pastor of the local ECWA church. The attackers were able to continue the attack for over an hour without any security intervention and then escaped.

The security of this area should be of huge concern to the Nigerian government as it has been a hotspot of large scale attacks in the past. In June of 2017, ove two hundred people were killed in a two-day attack on Bassa Local Government area.  Despite this, there has only been minimal engagement by the authorities and none of the attackers have ever been held accountable. This has led to impunity on the part of the attackers, who believe that they can get away with whatever they want. It has also led the locals to mistrust and often hate the military and government.

This attack is especially worrisome as Plateau state is going in to total lockdown tonight due to the coronavirus, COVID-19. This will mean that many of the locals will be stuck in their homes and could be attacked again. This will also hurt the government’s attempts to stop the spread of the virus, as villagers whose homes are attacked often have to flee to other locations(Keep reading).

I pray that God will keep them safe and that the government will step in and help them out.

Major Attacks by Boko Haram Could Signify Growing Strength

We should remember that some people are suffering in ways that DO NOT involve the virus and we should remember them in our prayers.

Note: Words that are bolded are from the blogger himself.

04/01/2020 Chad/Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Over the past few weeks, while the world is distracted and consumed by the Coronavirus pandemic, Boko Haram has been causing mass chaos and devastation in the lake Chad region of West Africa. There have been a number of major attacks by the group in the last month that have involved the Nigerian Military, Niger Military and Chadian military. These attacks have killed hundreds of soldiers and reprisals by the military have reportedly killed hundreds of Boko Haram militants.

For those who don’t know, Boko Haram is a Islamic terrorist group that originated in Nigeria.

The largest and most worrisome of these attacks took place on March 23, when Boko Haram militants ambushed a large Chadian military outpost and killed more than 100 soldiers. According to the President of Chad during a televised address, President Idriss Déby Itno said “I have taken part in many operations, but never in our history have we lost so many men at one time.” This disturbing attack shows just how powerful Boko Haram is becoming. Chad is known for having a strong and effective military compared to much of West Africa. Yet they suffered the greatest loss they have ever had in the President’s 30 year reign.

Not only did chad suffer a great loss, but 50 Nigerian soldiers were killed during an ambush on a convoy on March 21 or 22. This attack came as the Nigerian military was trying to launch an offensive against the terrorist group in Yobe State. This again is one of the worst losses for the Nigerian military in recent years. The final major attack took place in Niger, when Boko Haram terrorists attacked a military post in NorthEast Niger. The attack killed at least 8 soldiers, but the Niger army did say that they were able to repel the attack and killed at least 50 Boko Haram militants.

In both the attack in Chad and Nigeria, Boko Haram was able to kill many soldiers, and steal a lot of military weaponry. This is bad as the group has said that they will target Christians in Nigeria for pass attacks on Muslims(Keep reading).

Let’s also pray that the terrorists turn to Christ as Lord and Savior.

Ancha Village, Nigeria Suffers Another Attack, Government Does Nothing

Muslims are commanded to attack and kill non-Muslims according to the Muslim Holy book:

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. Sura 9:29

O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them. Sura 9:73

Surely Allah has bought of the believers their persons and their property for this, that they shall have the garden; they fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain Sura 9:111

04/02/2020 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Ancha Village in Plateau State of Nigeria, is a tiny village about 2 hours outside of the state capital. The small farming community is home to less than 1,000 people and yet has been the site of nearly a dozen attacks over the past few years. These attacks, often attributed Fulani militants, have killed dozens of the residents, destroyed many homes and properties, and left the villagers in fear. The latest attack took place late last night, April 1, and lasted for about 4 hours. Three locals were killed by gunfire, and another 2 people were injured in the Christian village.

The villagers had noticed suspicious movement in and around their village over the past few days. They then told the government and asked for some protection. Despite these pleas for help and the knowledge that this area has been attacked many times before, the government did nothing. They did not send any help or personnel until well after the attack was over and the attackers had left freely. It is this lack of government support and action that allows the attacker to continue their slaughter of villages like Ancha(Keep reading).

6 ways our Nigerian Brethren in Christ are discriminated against

My Nigerian brethren in Christ will be in my prayers.

WASHINGTON — A Nigerian priest who oversees trauma care for people victimized by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria visited the United States this week to share his concerns about how Christians are facing lesser-known forms of societal discrimination because of their faith in Christ.

Father Joseph Bature Fidelis, the director of psychosocial support and trauma care in the Diocese of Maiduguri, Nigeria, attended a weekly meeting of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable presided by U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback.

For the meeting, Fidelis prepared an “ask note” on behalf of his diocese calling for the U.S.’s intervention in the plight of Christians in Nigeria.

“A lot of it is going on and sometimes it’s not so much known to the wider world,” Fidelis told The Christian Post in an interview Tuesday morning. “The response is very slow. So people continue to suffer for their faith.”

In Nigeria, thousands of Christians have been killed in recent years by extremist violence carried out by Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province in Northern Nigeria. Thousands more have been killed amid increased attacks carried out by radical Fulani herders against Christian farming communities in the Middle Belt of the country.

In addition to the extremism and communal violence, Fidelis stressed that Christians living in Muslim-majority northern Nigeria are facing other forms of persecution that are lesser reported in the media but are impacting Christians’ finances, jobs, education, retirement and ability to worship.

Political deprivation
According to Fidelis, one particular phenomenon being seen in northern Nigeria is Christians being “deliberately deprived” of certain high-level positions in government.

“They are denied promotion or cannot access certain offices simply for being Christians,” Fidelis said.

Instances of political deprivation, he said, can be seen widely in Borno state and Yobe state.

In Yobe, Fidelis said Christians can’t be head of a government school.

“Muslims have been so much in power, so a lot of Christians will not be able to have access to certain positions,” he explained. “You don’t see it openly done. Let’s say you go for an interview and five or six of you are supposed to qualify for a director position in a department. The Muslim is given preference over a Christian. That pattern has been there steadily. So you watch it and you see that certain positions are just not given to Christians(Go here to read more).”

I pray that things get better for them as soon as possible.

Robert Spencer, the guy in charge of Jihadwatch commented on this you can go to it here.

Islamic Jihadists Kill Christian Pastor; Begin a Deadly New Year for Christians in Nigeria

In the Muslim holy book prescribes Muslims to make war against non-adherents:

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. Sura 9:29

O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them. Sura 9:73

Surely Allah has bought of the believers their persons and their property for this, that they shall have the garden; they fight in Allah's way, so they slay and are slain Sura 9:111

Not all Muslims take these commands seriously, but sadly some do, especially in countries where they make up the majority like here:

2020 is already proving to be a deadly year for innocent Christians in Nigeria.

Boko Haram – the Nigerian jihadist militia pledged to ISIS – just beheaded a Christian Pastor who weeks ago was shown in a hostage video telling the world: “Don’t cry. Don’t worry. But thank God for everything.”

As reported in the New York Times, Pastor Lawan Andimi was executed by Boko Haram and his hometown attacked:

Islamic militants in Nigeria have killed a Christian pastor who had pleaded for his life in a video just days earlier, and a human rights activist said Tuesday that other extremists attacked his hometown on the same day.

The Rev. Lawan Andimi was abducted earlier this month when Boko Haram militants attacked the Michika local government area, where he was the chairman of a local chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria. He was killed on Monday.

Anyone who has seen the video knows that Rev. Andimi did not plead for his life. In fact, he was calm, and even appeared to be at peace, trusting in God and stating:

By the grace of God, I will be together with my wife, my children, and my colleagues. [But] if the opportunity has not been granted, maybe it is the will of God . . . I have never been discouraged because all conditions that one finds himself in is in the hands of God.

The unshakable faith of this pastor should be humbling to every Christian. The fact that he was executed by Islamic radicals because of his faith should infuriate every human being.

In the same week, another group of jihadists reportedly murdered two Christian teenage girls.

[Muslim Fulani] herdsmen on motorbikes rode into Gora-Gan village in Zango Kataf County at about 5 p.m. shooting villagers on sight, according to a local resident. Luka Biniyat, spokesman for the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), confirmed the killing of Briget Philip, 18, and Priscilla David, 19.

Other young Christians were injured in the attack, including a 12-year-old(Keep reading).

13 Christians killed, four seminarians kidnapped in Nigeria

 The Muslim holy book commands Muslims to attack and violently subjugate non-Muslims:

Fight those who do not have faith in Allah nor [believe] in the Last Day, nor forbid what Allah and His Apostle have forbidden, nor practise the true religion, from among those who were given the Book, until they pay the tribute out of hand, degraded. Sura 9:29

So we shouldn't be surprised when our brethren in Christ feel the brunt of persecution from them at all.

JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed 13 Christians in Plateau state, Nigeria on Wednesday (Jan. 8), the same day four students were kidnapped from a Catholic seminary in Kaduna state.

About 20 herdsmen attacked the predominantly Christian village of Kulben, in Plateau state’s Mangu County, at about 8 p.m., area residents told Morning Star News. The 13 dead were all members of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), as were three people wounded in the assault, they said.

“They were shooting with guns in all directions, forcing the villagers to scamper into surrounding bushes,” area resident Michael Mutding, 40, told Morning Star News in a text message. “Corpses of those killed have been evacuated by soldiers and police to the mortuary of Mangu Cottage Hospital; and all the victims are members of COCIN.”

Bala Fwengje, a legislator representing the area in the Plateau State House of Assembly, said in a statement that the attacks came in spite of efforts by security agencies.

“This attack on my people by these herdsmen comes as a rude shock to us, as efforts have been made by security agencies to curtail such incessant attacks on our people,” Fwengje said. “It is a sad thing that these attacks are still being carried out by the herdsmen on our people without provocation.”

Audu Tetmut, a 60-year-old area leader of the Christian community, said there had never been any problem between his people and herdsmen living in the area.

“Our community had lived peacefully with the herdsmen without any issues of dispute with them,” Tetmut told Morning Star News. “So we are surprised that they attacked us(Keep reading).”

I pray that the 4 people kidnapped are found and returned to their families. 

Bloodshed Continues in Nigeria as Boko Haram Attacks Christians

 

1/29/2014 Nigeria (Morning Star News) - Authorities suspected Islamic extremist group Boko Haram was responsible for an attack on a Catholic church service in Adamawa state on Sunday (Jan. 26) that reportedly left 45 people dead.

Sources told Morning Star News that 22 bodies were recovered from the church building in Waga Chakawa village, other church members were killed while trying to escape and still more were slain later in nearby bushes after being taken hostage. Of the 45 people reportedly killed, two were policemen. The total number of those killed who were taking part in the church service was unknown.

One of the survivors, 42-year-old Matthew Apogu, told Morning Star News that Boko Haram Islamists used improvised bombs and guns on the church.
“The gunmen used explosive devices to attack us as the worship service was on, and many of our Christian brethren lost their lives,” he said. “I saw 22 corpses, but some of my relatives who also escaped from the church told me that they saw 25 dead bodies.”
Apogu said the Islamist extremists took some Christians away as hostages.

“We were all scattered by the attackers, and as we escaped those that were not able to escape were taken hostage, especially, women, children, and the elderly,” he said.
The gunmen also burned homes, Apogu said.

The Rev. Raymond Danboyi, a Catholic priest with the Diocese of Yola, told Morning Star News by phone that only 22 deaths of church members had been confirmed.
“Twenty-two of our parishioners died in the attack carried out by gunmen we believe are Boko Haram members,” Danboyi said.
Maina Ularamu, chairman of the Madagali Local Government Council, reportedly said 45 people had been killed, but he later told Morning Star News that the council had yet to determine the total casualty figure.

The attack came as leaders of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) reported that 262 of its members were killed by Boko Haram, and another 12 were kidnapped, last year. Boko Haram gunmen bombed 36 Brethren Churches and burned down 854 houses, they said in an email.
The attacks on its members and churches, the Brethren leaders said, occurred in the states of Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, and Yobe, all in northern Nigeria.
Boko Haram, which seeks to impose sharia (Islamic law) throughout Nigeria, was also suspected in a bombing attack on a market in Kawuri village, Borno state on Sunday evening (Jan. 26). At least 52 people died and all 300 homes in the village were reportedly burned down. The group also reportedly attacked the village of Wala on Friday (Jan. 24).

Boko Haram, the name residents of Maiduguri, Borno state originally gave the group that calls itself, “The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad” (from the Arabic, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad,), has killed thousands of civilians, including hundreds of Christians(Source).

Christian Worship Thrives in Northern Nigeria, Despite Dangers

 

9/29/2013 Kano, Nigeria (Daily Trust/ AllAfrica.com) - ...The truth is we still have a vibrant lively church--church as a body of Christ now in Kano State. The fact that we've gone through several persecutions, religious turbulences and provocations and deprivations has not quenched the light of the church. Solidly, we're there because you can destroy a church building but you can't destroy the church itself. You can kill people but you can't kill the church because in our own biblical injunction, the Lord said, "I built my church and the gates of hell can't prevail... "

We understand that the church will suffer a lot of attacks but we're still there. The church is thriving and we're making our inputs as much as possible in Kano State as much as possible. If you go to CAN Kano State or just call my name--google my name, you'll see our activities outlined--a lot of things we do in Kano. Almost every month, I speak in the papers. I shout when I need to shout. I talk, we can't be repressed.

The church in Kano is alive. Even though numbers have decreased tremendously... we have suffered a lot of persecutions, neglect by the government; we've suffered reduction in our membership, many have been killed, many have relocated because of fears. There's no doubt about that. Some churches have closed. When you lose a pastor, members killed, church burnt, the church closes down. But that does not mean we don't have church in Kano. We're still there(Source).

24 Killed in Bombing on Christian Neighborhood in Northern Nigeria

 

7/30/2013 Nigeria (USA Today) — Multiple explosions at a bar and entertainment area in a Christian quarter of Nigeria's northern and mainly Muslim city of Kano killed at least 24 people, a hospital official said Tuesday.

Lt. Ikedichi Iweha, a spokesman for the Military Joint Task Force, said earlier Tuesday that 12 people died at the scene and "a couple" of people were wounded in Monday night's attack, which he blamed on suspected members of the Islamic extremist Boko Haram network.
But the spokesman for Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital said their mortuary had 24 bodies brought from the scene and from the city's Murtala Muhammad Specialists Hospital.

The teaching hospital also was treating nine people wounded in the blasts, said spokesman Aminu Inuwa. It was unclear how many others might be in treatment at other hospitals.
More than a hundred people gathered outside the hospital morgue, weeping and screaming in anguish Tuesday afternoon. Military officials would not allow them into the morgue, so many said they have no idea if missing loved ones are dead or alive.

Nigeria is fighting an Islamic uprising by extremists based mainly in the northeast, where the government has declared a state of emergency. Kano city and state are in the northwest and not part of that emergency. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden," wants to impose Islamic law in all of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation of more than 160 million divided almost equally between Christians who live mainly in the south and Muslims who dominate the north(Source).

Christian Pastor Murdered as Nigeria Declares a State of Emergency

 

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.

 

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).

“Boston Like” Terrorist Attacks a Daily Experience for Christians in Nigeria

And for this reason they will constantly be in my prayers.

     

4/28/2013 Nigeria (Christian Post) - The Boston Marathon bombings last week shocked America and served as a reminder that the threat of terrorism in the western world is still alive. While offering condolences to the victims, one group is pointing out that Nigerian Christians face such horrors every week in the face of Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

In an open letter to the American people this week, the Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans (CANAN) wrote, "The evil of terrorism in today's world are now well-known and so too must be the demand of vigilance in the overall protection of the common good."
Laolu Akande, executive director of CANAN, is urging Americans to help protect Christians who are regularly attacked in Nigeria.

"We want fellow Christians in America to rise up in the face of the innocent Nigerian Christians who are the main target of Boko Haram," he said.

"These people are doing whatever they like, they have gone out of control, they are threatening the very peace and security of Nigeria, and that of the region," he told The Christian Post in a phone interview on Thursday.

"They have turned Christians into a group of sitting ducks. This is why we want American Christians to rise up and support our association, because we have decided to be the voice of the voiceless. We want American Christians to help us carry our message to the U.S. Congress and get the government to do what is right, which is to designate Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization."

Boko Haram, the shadowy terrorist group in Nigeria, has killed close to 3,000 people in the last few years in the African country. The victims have been primarily Christians as the terrorist group seeks to drive them out of the country and declare Islamic control. It has bombed churches and government buildings, shot down congregations, killed pastors, and rejected a proposed amnesty agreement from the government to stop the attacks.

Despite all this, the U.S. government has failed to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist group, even though it admits specific members of the organization are terrorists.

"How can you say that Osama bin Laden is a terrorist, but al-Qaida the organization is not?" Akande told CP. "The only reason why the State Department does not want to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organization is for political reasons. It flies in the face of logic to say that three leaders in the group are terrorists but the group itself is not a terrorist organization(Keep Reading)."

Extreme Violence Against Christians in Nigeria is Almost the Norm

            

4/26/2013 Nigeria (Canada Free Press) - Further incidences of targeted violence have taken place against Christians in the northern Nigerian state of Borno. On April 20th, gunmen pulled over a bus near Maiduguri, demanding the passengers aboard to declare their faith. The gunmen then proceeded to kill six people who had confessed they were Christians.

It was also reported that militants have recently embarked upon an “Islamization campaign” in Gwoza (also located in Borno state). In this situation, residents were threatened by gunmen who were going from door to door, demanding that the family members within each household profess allegiance to Islam at gunpoint.

On April 19th, just prior to these violent acts of persecution, intensive warfare was raging in the far north of Borno between the military and the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram. At least 185 people have died and up to 2,000 homes were destroyed due to this violent conflict which took place in the remote town of Baga (near the Chad border). The aim of Boko Haram is to create an Islamic state across northern Nigeria. For an overview of the country’s situation, previous prayer alerts, and on-location video clips, go to the Nigeria Country Report(Source).
 

Nigeria: The Most Dangerous Place for Christians on Earth

I pray that the Lord will protect my Nigerian brethren in Christ in the midst of their danger.

           

4/18/2013 Nigeria (Morning Star News) - The publicly reported Christian casualties in Nigeria last year were greater than the Christian casualties of Pakistan, Syria, Kenya and Egypt combined. In fact, Nigeria alone accounted for almost 70 percent of Christians killed globally. This makes Nigeria the most lethal country for Christians by a huge margin. While media reports do not tell the whole story, and death tolls are not the only factor in persecution, such a great list of martyrs demands our attention. In 2012, over 900 Christians were killed in Nigeria in attacks that specifically targeted Christians for their faith. By the first quarter of this year, at least 128 people have been killed in northern Nigeria, mostly Christians.

Much of the violence in 2012 was attributed to the Jihadist terror group Boko Haram. With 3,000 casualties affecting citizens from a dozen countries in three years, Boko Haram has earned a dubious distinction as one of the top five lethal terrorist organizations in the world. In the last three years, however, the three most deadly incidents of anti-Christian persecution – with triple- digit casualties – in Nigeria were the March 7, 2010 massacre in Jos, Plateau state, the April 16, 2011 pogrom in the country’s sharia (Islamic law) states and the Jan. 20, 2012 onslaught in Kano. Two out of these three incidents were not the handiwork of terrorists but of average northern Nigerian Muslims.

While Boko Haram’s bloody terrorist tactics certainly merit serious concern, the focus on this group has overshadowed a pattern of systemic religious violence in Nigeria. It obfuscates the pervasive history of the killing of Christians by Muslims in northern Nigeria going back over a quarter century.
Transferred Aggression

In 1999, after a pro-democracy movement successfully ended military dictatorship and a Christian was elected president, 12 Muslim-controlled states in northern Nigeria reacted by imposing Islamic sharia law in open violation of Nigeria’s constitution. This resulted in horrific violence the following year that left thousands dead when Christians protested peacefully.

Such acts of violence continue to this day with virtual impunity. In November, for instance, the mispronunciation of a dress style by a non-Muslim tailor led to his death – along with several other Christians – and church burnings in spontaneous riots. This ultimately fatal fashion mistake was not the handiwork of terrorists but of average northern Nigerian Muslims.

Persecution in Nigeria is discernible in three widening concentric circles: sect, state and street levels. While much has been said regarding the smallest circle – sect-level actors such as Boko Haram – most analysts overlook the ongoing and serious persecution in the wider state and street circles, which provide an enabling environment for groups like Boko Haram.
Street-Level Aggression

Let us first consider the street level. The most serious attack on the Christian community in Nigeria’s recent history was not carried out by Boko Haram or any organized Islamic sect. Rather, it was an act of ordinary Muslims across most northern states. This Anti-Christian pogrom, referred to as the “post-election violence,” deserves examination as a bellwether of the real conditions in Nigeria’s tottering political union.

In April 2011, in what was dubbed one of the “freest and fairest” elections in Nigeria’s recent history, Goodluck Jonathan was elected president. Before his victory was announced, violence erupted in the 12 northern sharia states – again.

The final toll for the Christian community was staggering. In a 48-hour period, 764 church buildings were burned, 204 Christians were confirmed killed, more than 3,100 Christian-operated businesses, schools, and shops were burned, and over 3,400 Christian homes were destroyed. While there have been similar death tolls in certain incidents in terms of scope and coordinated scale of destruction, there has been no equivalent attack against the church in recent decades, with the possible exception of government-backed genocides in Sudan(Keep Reading).

Innocent Christians Are the Real Victims of Boko Haram’s Violence in Northern Nigeria

    
3/29/2013 Nigeria (Canada Free Press) - At least twenty people were killed on March 18th by a series of bombings targeting buses in a predominantly Christian neighborhood of Nigeria’s northern city of Kano. A rescue official on the scene reported: “I saw three buses on fire. One of them was fully loaded with passengers waiting to leave the station at the time of the blasts.” While officials suspect the series of explosions were likely initiated by suicide bombers, investigators are still collecting evidence to confirm that theory.

As the bombings took place in a predominantly Christian area of Kano, officials suspect that Christians were most likely being targeted by the attacks. Sadly, too many innocent victims in northern Nigeria have either been killed or injured by Boko Haram’s heinous acts of violence. The official death toll is expected to rise as security officials continue to examine the scene of the most recent bombing. For other reports on Nigeria, go to the Nigeria Country Report.

Pray that these believers in Nigeria will find refuge in the Lord and not be overcome by fear (Psalm 46). May they follow Christ’s example in both their reaction to this unwarranted violence and their attitude toward the perpetrators (1 Peter 2:21-23). Also pray that the Lord’s comforting presence and promised ‘peace that surpasses all understanding’ be experienced by the families of the victims(Source).

Five Christians, Including Children, Shot Dead in Nigeria

          

3/20/2013 Nigeria (ChristianToday) - Christian children fleeing from gunmen saved their lives by hiding among the rock formations towering over the eastern side of this northern village, but a 6-month-old baby and a 13-year-old girl never got the chance.

The infant, Alexander Blessed, and the girl, Happiness Adamu, were the youngest of five people from five churches who were slain. Christians were still gathered in and about a home where a funeral for the village chief had taken place in the predominantly Muslim state of Kaduna when, under cover of darkness on a Saturday night (Feb. 23), marauding, black-clad gunmen arrived from the west and began firing.

Eleven Christians were hospitalized with wounds, including Martha Blessed, who was shot as she tried to protect her infant son. Bullets broke both legs of another 13-year-old Christian girl, Gloria Livinus, of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Aduwan. The raid came as a shock as area Christians had been living without enmity toward anyone, said John Audi, 45-year-old grandson of the village chief and a member of St. Patrick’s church.

“We were all scattered, and some that were shot were crying,” he told Morning Star News. “We all ran for cover where we believed we could avoid being hit by the bullets.”

Witnesses reportedly said the gunmen spoke in Fulani dialect, but church leaders said the area had been free of the land and property conflicts that have marked relations between Muslim, ethnic Fulanis and predominantly Christian tribes. Islamic extremist groups have increasingly incited Fulani Muslims to attack Christian areas, and witnesses reportedly said the assailants carried sophisticated weapons. Area church leaders questioned how the shooting could have gone on for three hours without response from authorities in a north-central state that has been blanketed with military security forces to counteract terrorist violence.

“This village was attacked for three hours, yet no help came to our people here,” said the Rt. Rev. Danlami Bello, bishop of the First African Church, Kafanchan Diocese, whose headquarters are in Aduwan. “These attacks have gone unhindered without security agencies coming to the scenes of the attacks to assist Christian victims.”

As did others, he suspected a strong religious element to the attack.
“There is no doubt that this attack, like many others on Christian communities in northern Nigeria, had religious bearings,” he said. “There is this desire by Muslim leaders in Nigeria to Islamize the country by force; hence the attacks are aimed at forcing Christians into submitting to Islam.”

The Rev. Casmir Yabo, vicar of the First African Church Mission in Aduwan, told Morning Star News that church members who hid in farmlands west of the village reported seeing about 10 assailants leaving after the attack.

“We believe that the attackers are Muslim Fulani gunmen who invaded and attacked this village. I wept as I saw corpses of the five killed for no justifiable reason,” said Yabo. “The impact of the attack is that at the moment our members are scared of coming to churches for worship services.”

The attack came two days after a similar slaughter of 10 people in village near Jos in Plateau state.
Besides hit-and-run attacks by Fulani Muslims, Christians in Nigeria have also been targeted by the Islamic extremist Boko Haram group in its effort to destabilize the government and impose sharia (Islamic law) nationwide. Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria’s population of 158.2 million and live mainly in the south, while Muslims account for 45 percent and reside primarily in the north. Nigerians practicing indigenous religions may be as high as 10 percent of the total population, according to Operation World, so the percentages of Christians and Muslims may be less.
Attempted Bombing Raymond Markus, 31-year-old uncle to Happiness Adamu, told Morning Star News that the villagers had no reason to expect the onslaught.

“We were all gathered here while prayers were being said when suddenly, we were attacked,” he said. “We all ran in different directions. We are still in shock about this attack.”
He said that his slain niece was a faithful servant of Christ.
“It is a painful thing to lose such a brilliant teenager,” Markus said. “She was an obedient child and was committed in church activities; a very hard working church member.”

Nigeria Militants Kill 23 For Disobeying Islamic Law; Christians Tense

 

1/24/13 Nigeria (BNL) -Minority Christians in northern Nigeria were on edge Thursday, January 24, after militants killed at least 23 people for disobeying Islamic religious law, known as Sharia, residents said. In the deadliest attack, suspected Islamic gunmen fired at a market in Borno state killing 18 people late Monday, January 21.

"Gunmen suspected to be members of [Islamic group Boko Haram] came to the town market and shot dead 13 local hunters on the spot while five others died from their injuries at the hospital," the official said in published remarks.

"They came to the market in a Volkswagen Golf car, carried out the operation and left."
Locals said the militants appeared to have targeted the local hunters over their choice to sell "bush meat" such as pork and monkeys, forbidden by local Muslims.

In a separate incident Tuesday, January 22, suspected Islamic militants riding on motorbikes shot dead five people playing an outdoor board game in the northern city of Kano, some 500 km (310 miles) west of Damboa, witnesses and hospital sources said. Two people were reportedly seriously wounded. Authorities believe both attacks were carried out by Boko Haram, which means 'Western Education is a Sin'.

Boko Haram wants to carve out an Islamic state out of Nigeria, a country of 170 million people split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims.
It has ordered Christians to leave the region and urged Muslims to move from southern areas to the north.

The latest attacks came after suspected Boko Haram fighters killed dozens of people, most of them Christians, since Christmas. On Christmas Eve, attackers raided two churches, killing 12 people in the northern Nigerian state of Yobe.

Six days later, suspected Boko Haram fighters killed at least 15 Christian worshipers, slitting some of their throats, in Musari, on the outskirts of Maiduguri, where the Islamic militants are based, according to Nigerian authorities(Source).

Christian Death Toll up to 22 in Nigeria

It's the New Year of 2013, and the number of my Nigerian brethren in Christ that. have been has gone up to 22 people. Lord Jesus Christ, keep my Nigerian brethren in Christ safer than they have ever been in the past in this New Year.

1/1/2013 Nigeria (CNN) - At least 22 people have been killed in three separate attacks in northeastern Nigeria since Friday, including 15 Christians shot Sunday inside a church, according to officials. The violence began early Friday when unidentified gunmen raided a village in Musari, in Borno state, killing five people, said Joint Task Force Lt. Col. Sagir Musa. JTF troops responded, and a gunbattle ensued. Three of the attackers were killed, and troops recovered weapons and ammunition. Musa declined to provide further details of the attack.

Also Friday, gunmen with suspected ties to the Islamist militant group Boko Haram killed two people and wounded another in an attack in Maiha, in Adamawa state, according to Godfrey Okeke, Adamawa state commissioner. The attackers freed 35 inmates from the Maiha prison and set government buildings on fire, Okeke said.

In Sunday's attack, gunmen entered a church in Chibok, also in Borno state, and killed at least 15 worshipers, said Mohammed Kana, a regional official for the National Emergency Management Agency.
"Some of the people had their throats slit," Kana said, citing NEMA staff who responded to the scene.
Sunday's violence comes six days after attackers raided two churches during Christmas Eve services, killing 12 people(Source).

Nigeria’s President Claims Christians Were Safe Over Christmas Holiday

It wouldn't be surprised if people said that he was wrong about saying my Nigerian brethren in Christ were safe over the Christmas holidays.

12/31/2012 Nigeria (TheSun) - President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that, but for the security measures to check Boko Haram, this year’s Christmas celebration would have been the bloodiest, going by the Islamist sect’s plans. This is even as a church disclosed that it lost 109 members and 50 branches to the group. Jonathan spoke of plans by Boko Haram to push the nation backwards and stop the government from providing the dividends of democracy.

“They would not succeed because 2013 will be a good year for Nigerians and Nigeria,”he said. The President noted that Christianity and Islam are religions of peace and tolerance which forbid killings and blood-letting. The President disclosed this at the Ekklisiyar Yaruwa a Nigeria, EYN, (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), Utako, Abuja, where he attended Sunday service. While re-assuring that his administration was working round-the-clock to address insecurity, Jonathan said that government will contain insecurity posed by the sect.

The President said that government will ensure that the activities of the Boko Haram did not push the nation backward as the strategic security plans put in place were already yielding positive results. According to him, the sect had intended to unleash deadly attacks on Christmas day, but the plans were aborted because of the effective strategic operations of the various security agencies. “The Boko Haram planned to carry out a lot of attacks on Christmas day, but we suppressed their plans during the Christmas, because the extent of their plans was not executed as a result of the strategies by the security agencies.

“Although, we still recorded some incidences, but the extent of attacks which they planned, was not allowed to be executed. Boko Haram will not push us backwards. If their plan is to stop government from providing the dividends of democracy, they would not succeed because 2013 will be a good year for Nigerians and Nigeria. With your persistent prayer, we shall defeat them,” he said. Jonathan noted that it was strange how terrorism and suicide bombings which were alien to the culture of any section of the country had crept in. He thanked the EYN nationwide for keeping faith and remaining calm even in the face of provocation.

Earlier, Senior Pastor of the church, Rev. Daniel Mbaya, said that about 50 of their churches had been burnt and 109 members killed in the North by Boko Haram. He said that EYN, predominantly in the North- East, was worse hit by the Boko Haram insurgence(Source).