by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Islamic State terrorists murdered four Christians and kidnapped 22 girls in attacks on January 20 and January 14 in the Chibok area of Borno state, Nigeria, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Nigeria ranked number one in the world for Christians killed on account of their faith last year, at 4,650 (up from 3,530 in 2020).
According to Morning Star News, on January 20 Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists invaded Pemi village and murdered a Christian identified as Blan Gutto. The terrorists also abducted 17 Christian girls ages 10 to 13, burned down a building belonging to the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN), and set fire to a shop belonging to Ayuba Bulus, a Christian.
“One of the girls kidnapped I know in person is Miss Roya Joel,” area resident James Nkeki told MSN. “More than two dozen houses were burned down, and I must say that these attacks on our communities are getting out of hand. We need your prayers for God’s deliverance from these forces of evil.”
Just a few days earlier, on January 14, ISWAP terrorists slaughtered three Christians and kidnapped five Christian girls from the same area. An EYN church building was also burned down, MSN reports. “These attacks on us by Muslim terrorists will never stop us from worshipping the Lord because the Christ in us is not the church buildings they destroy,” Blessing Bulama told MSN in a text message.
Local residents told MSN that the Chibok Christian community has been attacked over 100 times since the April 14, 2014 abduction of more than 276 Christian schoolgirls by Islamic terror group Boko Haram. Around 100 of the girls remain captive. Nigeria jumped two places up from last year to rank seven on the US Open Doors Watch List 2022 of top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.