by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Two of the 66 Christians abducted from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Nigeria’s Kaduna State on October 31 were murdered by their captors last week, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Appealing for help, Christian leader Rev. Joseph Hayab said in a statement: “The evil we are experiencing is more than what an ordinary person in Nigeria can handle.”
While the sect responsible for the mass abductions in October has not been reported, nearly 3,500 Christians were slaughtered by Boko Haram, Hausa-Fulani Muslim militant herdsmen, and ISIS West Africa in the first half of this year alone. Over 11,500 Christians were murdered between 2015 - 2020. Rights groups have been warning of genocide.
In a statement on November 10, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna chapter, Rev. Joseph Hayab said the captors opened fire on five of the abductees, killing two and wounding three, ICC reports.
“The lives of Kaduna abducted worshipers are in danger and require urgent intervention of government and security agencies,” Hayab said. “The insecurity in Kaduna State has continued to grow beyond our imagination, and is threatening the peace of the nation.” Hayab added that CAN is appealing for help from “well-meaning individuals, organizations, those in authority, especially the Federal Government and the international community.”
Nigeria ranks nine on the US Open Doors Watch List 2021 of top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. However, the country ranks number one in the world for Christians murdered on account of their faith.