by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - As the slaughter of Christians by Islamic extremists in Nigeria continues unabated and with impunity, unidentified gunmen murdered six people, including a pastor, in Nasarawa state in the north of the country at the weekend, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Rights groups estimate that as many as 80,000 Christians have been murdered by Islamic terrorists in Nigeria since jihadism took hold in the country in 2009.
Pastor Kingsley Orshase and two farmers were shot dead as they fished by a local river in the Kadarko community of Keana Local Government Area, Nasarawa state, at around 4 pm on Friday, Mar. 22, ICC said. Three other farmers were shot and killed on Sunday morning in the same area.
Ruled by an Islamist government, Nigeria ranks sixth on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. “Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Muslim-majority north, continue to live under immense pressure and to be terrorized with devastating impunity by Islamic militants and armed ‘bandits,’” the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization reports on its website.
“More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year, than everywhere else in the world combined,” Open Doors reports. “The attacks are often brutal in nature and can involve destruction of properties, abductions for ransom, sexual violence and death. Believers are stripped of their livelihoods and driven from their homes, leaving a trail of grief and trauma.”