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Nigeria
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Militants Ravage Village Leaving Eight Dead
A victim of the attacks, James Nengwe
Photo: Morning Star NewsVarious attacks in central Nigeria late January resulted in the death of at least eight Christians and the destruction of dozens of homes. Fulani herdsmen, accompanied by Islamist militants, raided the village of Zanwra (near the city of Jos in Plateau state) over a number of days. Many of those who survived lost everything they owned.
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Increase of Violence in Plateau State
A previous "Christmas Blessing" project brought much joy to persecuted Christians and their families in Nigeria.After a period of relative calm, violence has resumed in Plateau state -- resulting in the deadliest sectarian violence in Nigeria's recent history. The fatalities were perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen who have been primarily targeting Christian farmers in the country's Middle Belt. In fact, many experts now report that the attacks of this militant Muslim group have killed more people than those committed previously by the notorious Boko Haram terrorists.
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Kidnapped Optician Killed in Southern Region
Missionary Ian Squire who diligently
served in Nigeria's Delta state.
Photo Credit: World Watch MonitorOn October 13th, a British optician who had been kidnapped was killed shortly after singing the hymn, Amazing Grace, to lift the spirits of his fellow hostages. Ian Squire, 57, was killed instantly by shots fired by one of the four gang members who abducted him and three other Christian aid workers from their clinic in the country's lawless Delta state. The gunmen refused to give any information as to why the shots were fired.
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Plateau State Attacks Include Fatal Shooting
Pray for the safety of the country's innocent citizens who are vulnerable to militant attacks.On October 24th, a Christian woman and her two children were killed in north-central Nigeria. Armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen ambushed and shot to death Rebecca Daniel Choji, her 16-year-old daughter Suzanna, and 29-year-old son Joel. Prior to the shooting, which took place in Jol village (located within the Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State), the attacked family members had been on their way to a health facility in Vwak village.
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Kidnapped Pastor Released After Captivity
Rev. Jen Tivkaa Moses after
his release by kidnappers.
Photo: Morningstar NewsChristian leaders have announced that a previously abducted pastor was freed on August 9th, five days after being kidnapped. Rev. Jen Tivkaa Moses had been seized on Friday, August 4th by young Fulani herdsmen while travelling along the highway from Jos to Abuja in Plateau state. Thankfully, he was brought safely back to Jos at about 1 o'clock in the morning the following Wednesday. While it is unclear whether a full ransom had been granted to the kidnappers, who demanded one million naira (approximately $3,400 CAD), a payment was made to secure his release.
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Release of More Chibok Schoolgirls
Since the release of the 21 Chibok
students last October (pictured above),
82 more girls have recently been freed.
Photo: World Watch MonitorBoko Haram released a video on May 12th claiming to show a few Chibok schoolgirls refusing to be part of the recent "swap deal" in which 82 of the girls had been rescued by the Nigerian government in exchange for five terrorist commanders.
In the three-minute video, a girl dressed in a veil and holding a gun introduces herself as Maida Yakubu, one of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorist group in April 2014. During the taping, three other girls in veils sat behind her. When asked by a man in the background why she doesn't want to go back home to her parents, she replies: "The reason is that they live in the town of unbelief. We want them to accept Islam."
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Three Years of Agony for Chibok Parents
Some of the parents of Chibok's kidnapped girls.
Photo: World Watch MonitorFor the families of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped from their dormitories three years ago, grief and despair have been compounded by fear, as the perpetrators of their agony continue to terrorize their town and carry out further abductions with impunity. A previous report on the school kidnapping is available here.
Since Boko Haram jihadists abducted 276 girls from their secondary school in the town of Chibok, in the northeastern state of Borno, 23 parents have died of heart disease while many continue to battle stress-related conditions. While 81 of the girls have since escaped or been rescued, it is believed that their captors -- who initially boasted that they would sell them as slaves -- have decided to hold on to their victims after realizing how valuable their high profile has made them. As a result, more than two-thirds of the girls are still missing.
The release of 21 girls last October briefly gave hope to the Chibok families and other Christians across northeast Nigeria who have been terrorized by Boko Haram for almost eight years. However, the girls have been detained for questioning and security purposes since their release and allowed to see their parents only a handful of times. To review a report on the release of these girls from terrorist captivity, click here.
Residents of Chibok are still fearful because Boko Haram has recently attacked nearby towns, and scores of families have been displaced to Mbalala, less than five kilometres from Chibok. There is now a heavy military presence in Chibok, and three of the town's 13 schools have only partially reopened. Parents are terrified of sending their children back to school in case Boko Haram strikes again, and church activities are carried out under heavy security.
A report by UNICEF has recently indicated a sharp rise in the number of children forced to carry out suicide bomb attacks -- from 30 in 2016 for the entire year to 27 in just the first three months of 2017. The agency added that Boko Haram's abduction of children is "systematic" and "fuelling" its insurgency in the Lake Chad region. The kidnapped girls are typically forced into early marriage and sexual slavery.
Ask the Lord to minister in special ways to the victimized children and their distraught families, and all in Nigeria who've experienced great pain and loss due to Boko Haram's acts of terrorism. May there be many more victims released from captivity and joyfully reunited with their long-suffering families. Pray that the country's governing officials will clearly sense God's leading as they work together with renewed strength and unity in their efforts to liberate the captives, secure communities, and bring the perpetrators to justice. In the midst of so much suffering, we trust that the Lord will fulfil His promise to somehow use what was intended for evil and turn it around for greater good (Genesis 50:20).
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Rampant Increase of Fatal Fulani Attacks
Fulani herdsmen have attacked
Nigerian Christians with impunity.
Photo: World Watch MonitorSeveral fatal attacks have taken place this March in Guma, Agatu, Naka, and several other local government areas (LGAs) of Benue state. The death toll between March 10th and March 20th had risen to 60, according to Nigeria's police chief, who says he's deploying a special tactical force to deal with the continuing violence.
The series of attacks began on March 10th in Mkgovur village, located on the outskirts of Buruku town. When a group of Hausa-Fulani herders were prevented from grazing their cattle on the farms of the indigenous Christian community, they returned armed with sophisticated weapons and proceeded to shoot and kill anyone in sight. By the time the villagers realized what was happening, about ten people had been killed and several others were missing. Surviving villagers had to flee to the neighbouring Gboko Local Government Area.
After the attack in Mkgovur, another attack was carried out a couple days later in the village of Tombo-Mbalagh, Buruku LGA. This attack was directed mostly against an unarmed Christian population going about its normal business. About eight people were killed and three others were reported missing. Before the intervention of security services, another attack was carried out by the militant herdsmen in the early hours of March 14th. This attack took place at Wanune, headquarters of Tarka LGA. While the government struggles to find a solution to the problem, the killing has continued.
Benue state is a Christian majority state, with limited settlements of Muslims within some urban centres of the different local government councils. However, it is fair to say that the attacks of the militants have been selective, targeting mostly Christian villages, communities and settlements.
Added Note: Attacks by Fulani herdsmen have also affected Christians in Nigeria's Kaduna state, despite calls for peace and an increased army presence. On the morning of February 20th, the militants began setting fire to the Christians' homes, demanding that they renounce their faith. The gunmen killed 15 people, mostly women and children, and injured more than 50 others. Please also pray for the Christians living in this village.
Ask the Lord to personally contend with those who seek to harm and annihilate His people, bringing upon the 'workers of iniquity' a healthy reverential fear of their Creator so that they may humbly turn to Him, repent of their evil ways, do justly, and live honourably before Him (Isaiah 49:25; Proverbs 9:10). Pray that He will be especially close to the many vulnerable and suffering Christians in Nigeria -- loving and comforting them, providing their villages needed protection, and redeeming all that the enemy has sought to kill, steal and destroy. May they find the precious rest and hope that comes from Christ alone.
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Attack Survivor Serves God
Nankpak KumzwamEight-year-old Nankpak Kumzwam watched his mother lie face down on the ground as a screaming Islamic militant ran towards them with a machete. Her cheek was already stained with dried blood from a gunshot wound, and she looked physically and emotionally exhausted. The family had slept on the ground the previous two nights while fleeing marauding rioters, and they just received the heartbreaking news that the rioters had killed Nankpak's father.
When Nankpak regained consciousness after the machete attack, he instinctively knew his mother, sister and brother were now also dead. Bleeding from machete wounds and the gunshot wound he had suffered the day before, the child hiked through the bush to find help, eventually arriving at a friend's house.
After receiving treatment, Nankpak moved in with an uncle until VOM workers helped enroll him at a boarding school located in a safe area. The ministry supports numerous persecuted believers in northern Nigeria by providing them medical care, food, living expenses, education, vocational training and spiritual encouragement.
Nankpak, who has now completed high school, hopes to become a doctor so he can care for persecuted Christians. He is ready to serve wherever God calls him. "I don't really need to be afraid," Nankpak affirms. "I was the only person who was able to escape. I believe God has a reason."
Nankpak thinks often of his family, and especially misses his mentoring father. "Many times he went from one place to another, speaking the Word of God," Nankpak recalls of his father's dedication to the Lord's work. "Whenever he was at home, we spent much time discussing the Word of God." The young man's father also taught his children to live peacefully among Muslims. "He always told us to love one another...and to share the Good News." Nankpak hopes those who hear his story will be mindful to pray for persecuted Christians.
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Fulani Herdsmen Accelerate Attacks
The aftermath of a recent attack by Fulani herdsmen.
World Watch MonitorOn the evening of November 13th, Fulani herdsmen besieged and attacked five villages located within the Kauru Local Government Area in the predominantly Christian Kaduna State. Armed with guns, knives, machetes and explosives, the Muslim militants killed 45 civilians -- mostly women, children and elderly residents -- while wounding dozens more and displacing thousands. Numerous vehicles and over 120 houses (including eight house-churches) were torched.
It is reported that attacks in northern Nigeria have accelerated in recent months, marked by greater sophistication in training and arms. Frustrated by the endless carnage, Christian leaders have reiterated the call for more security, including the establishment of a military base in Southern Kaduna.
Referencing previous attacks in the area, Rev. Dauda Samson of the Evangelical Church Winning All states: "Two churches were destroyed at Angwan Ali and Sabon Gari villages...all 22 Christians killed by the herdsmen (in these attacks) were members of local church congregations in area villages."
National chairman of the Kaninkon Development Association, Waje Goska Williams, concludes by saying, "We are under unprovoked and sustained attacks by people...working closely with the local Fulani (whom) we have lived with for many years."
More information on the serious concerns facing believers in northern Nigeria, as well as previous reports and video documentaries, can be found at our Nigeria Country Report.
Pray that the Lord will draw especially near to the persecuted Christians in Southern Kaduna -- including those who've been displaced -- as they struggle with tragic loss, fear, doubt and despair; and against the temptation to hate or retaliate against the perpetrators of the attacks. May they be encouraged to lift their heads and look to Jesus for their comfort, healing, justice and security. May His divine grace strengthen them in their time of tremendous need. Also pray for President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna Governor Nasir el-Rufai, asking God to help them in their endeavours to strengthen security in Christian regions and crack down on the illegal activities of the Fulani.