by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Christians in Nigeria’s Kaduna state continue to face extremely violent persecution as Islamic terrorists murdered a Christian woman on August 9, shot a Baptist pastor dead on August 23, and kidnapped two Anglican brothers on August 25, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Nigeria ranks number one in the world for the number of Christians murdered (5,014 last year) and kidnapped (4,726 last year), according to data collected by the US Open Doors International Christian advocacy organization.
On the night of August 25, terrorists raided the predominantly Christian community of Wusasa, Zaria, and abducted two Christians, brothers Yusha’u Peter and Joshua Peter, staff members of St. Luke’s Anglican Hospital in Wusasa, MSN reports. “This is coming not long after the father of the two victims was also kidnapped and taken into captivity by the terrorists,” local source Isiyaku Ibrahim told MSN. “The terrorists have so often made our area their target of attacks and abductions of our people. In fact, recently two Christians in our community were killed in similar attacks.”
Two days before the brothers’ abduction, Rev. Jeremiah Mayau, 61-year-old pastor of Tawaliu Baptist Church in Ungwan Mission, Kujama in Chikun County, was murdered by men described as terrorists. “Rev. Jeremiah Mayau was attacked and shot to death by the terrorists while he was working on his farm,” area resident Matthew Audu told MSN. “He was killed at about 2 p.m. and was shot on the head.”
On August 9, terrorists killed a Christian woman, Gloria Isa, as she slept at her home in the Ungwan Rana area of Kujama, MSN reports.
In a statement about the ongoing terrorism in Kaduna, the Rev. Joseph John Hayab, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, said: “It is very painful that gunmen move freely in broad daylight to execute their evil act and get away with it in a civilized society like ours, where we have constituted authority that is expected to checkmate these criminal elements in the society. It is also painful that when you raise an eyebrow, you are seen as a deviant who is just looking for trouble while those in authority have otherwise refused to do the right thing to ensure harmonious coexistence among the citizens.”