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Boko Haram Suspected in Killing of at Least 29 People, Most Christians, in Nigeria

May 27, 2015 11:43 pm / Leave a comment

Three attacks in 10 days after terrorists lose territory in northeast.

(Morning Star News) – Islamic extremist attacks in Nigeria’s Adamawa state in the past 10 days have killed at least 29 people after weeks of Boko Haram rebels losing ground to government forces in the northeast, sources said.

Suspected Boko Haram members on Friday (May 22) slaughtered 10 Christians with machetes in Pambula-Kwamda, a Christian community in Adamawa’s Madagali Local government Area (LGA). Area residents told Morning Star News members of the Islamic extremist rebel group attacked at 4 a.m.

“They destroyed the telephone mast first before invading our community – this was to prevent us from telephoning and requesting help,” said an area pastor who requested anonymity for fear of being hunted down by the terrorists. “They killed 10 members of our church [Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, or EYN] using machetes and then slaughtering them.”

Maina Ularamu, council chairman of the Madagali LGA, confirmed the 10 hacking deaths in a statement to journalists on Monday (May 25), saying reports had reached him only that day due to insecurity in the area and communications difficulties caused by Boko Haram.

Boko Haram was suspected in a suicide bombing of the Christian community of Garkida, Gombi LGA in Adamawa state, on May 19 that killed nine people and a shooting attack on May 16 in Wagga, Madagali LGA, that took the lives of 10 Christians, sources said. The violence was seen as a gesture by Boko Haram to reclaim territory lost to the Nigerian military.

“The attacks killed 19 people in Garkida and Madagali,” said the Rev. Samuel Dante Dali, president of the EYN. “The bombing signals a renewal of violence by the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram at a time when Nigerian authorities are claiming victory in many parts of the northeast.”

Church leaders in the Garkida area confirmed reports of a Boko Haram suicide bombing at the town market on May 19 at about 2 p.m. Lami Aboki of the EYN Church in Garkida told Morning Star News the attack has deeply unsettled Christians.

“I can’t eat or sleep as the gory sight of the dead bodies keeps haunting me,” Aboki said. “I am leaving this town. We have just returned thinking the place is safe, but from what we have seen, the terrorists are bent on returning here.”

She said the bomb exploded where vegetable sellers, most of them Christians, were stationed.

“It was at this particular spot that the bomb exploded,” she told Morning Star News.

Jerry Kundisi, a Christian legislator from the area, said information from townspeople also indicated that nine persons were killed. Kundisi, an EYN member, said the area is still dangerous in spite of military claims of pushing out Boko Haram.

In Wagga town, Madagali LGA, Boko Haram insurgents invaded on May 16 and killed 10 members of the EYN, church leaders said. Area Christian resident Timothy Wagra told Morning Star News that the Boko Haram members attacked at about midnight while the villagers were sleeping.

“The Boko Haram gunmen started shooting sporadically, and at the end of the attack, 10 Christians were killed in the town,” he said, adding that many others were displaced by the attack.

Maina Ularamu, council chairman of the Madagali Local Council, confirmed the attack in a press statement, saying “at least 10” people were killed. The Adamawa State Police Command confirmed both attacks in separate statements. Command spokesman Othman Abubakar said police were investigating.

EYN President Dali stated at the EYN annual congress earlier this month that since Boko Haram accelerated violence in 2009 in its bid to impose Islamic law (sharia) on Nigeria, the denomination has lost 1,390 local church branches out of a total of 2,280.

“In all 1,674 worship centers were completely destroyed,” he said.

He reported that Boko Haram violence had displaced well over 700,000 EYN members.

After the EYN congress in Jos on May 5-8, Stanley J. Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren-USA, said “the attendees had a sort of shocked expression on their faces. The proceedings were constantly being interrupted by announcements of tragedy – news of a pastor being killed or abducted, or a village being overrun by the terrorist group Boko Haram.”

Dali said that because of the Nigerian government’s refusal to assist the denomination and its membership, EYN had established a Disaster Management Team to minister to suffering members.

“The EYN church leadership has taken her destiny in its hands to forge ahead to reposition, rebuild, and transform the church for the future while providing leadership on the path of its vision, infusing confidence engendered by unshaken belief and faith in the work encouraging the congregation,” Dali said.

The church council resolved to construct rescue centers, called Brethren villages, in Nasarawa and Taraba states to resettle displaced church members. The council plans to include schools and hospitals at the centers.

In spite of the agony church members have been facing in Nigeria, the EYN leadership said its churches will continue to uphold peace among its basic principles.

“The peace heritage of the church is still the only way consistent with the gospel that we uphold,” Dali said.

EYN leaders urged the Nigerian government to sustain the fight against terrorism and insurgency, “ensure the rescue of the abducted Chibok girls as well as other abducted citizens,” and release funds meant for the support of victims of terror attacks for their safe resettlement.

The depletion of EYN pastors by Boko Haram terrorists has forced the church leadership to recruit and ordain new church leaders, the Rev. Daniel Mbaya of the EYN told Morning Star News.

“Because so many of the churches of EYN have been damaged or destroyed, this year’s Majalisa[congress] conducted an ordination service for new pastors,” he said. “The current ordained ministers gathered around the candidates, laying hands on them and commissioning them for the work ahead. All this is part of the EYN and Church of the Brethren plan to strengthen the church in Nigeria.”

While Boko Haram (translated as “Western education is a sin”) is the moniker residents of Maiduguri, Borno state gave the insurgents, the group calls itself the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal–Jihad, translated as “The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad.” It has ties to Al Qaeda, and the United States designated it as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in November 2013.

Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria’s population of 158.2 million, while Muslims account for 45 percent and live mainly in the north.

Voice of the Persecuted Project 133 Nigeria

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Breaking: Bomb Blast in Nigeria – News source calls a Boko Haram/ISIS connection a Marriage from Hell

February 26, 2015 6:53 pm / Leave a comment

(Voice of the Persecuted)

(CNN)For sheer cruelty, they are well matched. They also share an apocalyptic “end-of-days” vision. Now there are signs that Boko Haram — the most feared group in West Africa — may be edging toward a formal pledge of allegiance to the self-declared Caliph of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (Watch Video}

For some time now, we have shown the link between Boko Haram, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Al-shabob, and other extremists groups. A year ago we warned of the ‘super highway of terror’ that travels from the Middle East to the coasts of Africa. The MSM is finally connecting the dots, as the stench of death and destruction goes ever deeper in the region. As we review our past reports, you have to ask what took Western leaders and the press so long to figure this out, or to finally decide to share it with us? Though some are reporting it as happening overnight, when you take a look back, you’ll find it’s been festering and spreading like a cancer for some time. With reports coming in last year from the field, we feared with others the risks of genocide as the world remained basically silent.

From our report dated April 26, 2014: The Stench of Death, Abomination & Devastation Coming From The Middle East & Africa

There is a terrible highway being built by evil factions that have one agenda. Though they[terrorists] are a mixed people, they have one goal in mind, and that is to kill everyone and everything that is different from them. If you don’t believe in their brand of god, than you will die. They don’t care about life, they have no regard for it. While talking with a Christian brother from this region, I have come to understand that there are nearly 100 different sects[divisions] of people who follow Islam. And none of them seem to know which or who will go into ‘paradise’ with their God. So they are all bent on killing seeing this as the sure way to guarantee their entry into paradise. To die in battle fighting in the name of Allah.

So as the media and the West fiddles, so to speak, the middle east and Africa are on fire. In Syria there has been a battle cry raised, a cry that commands all to come and fight. This is not war in the conventional sense, this is not the Syrian people raising up to topple an evil dictator. This is a Holy War, a jihad commanded by a Holy Book. With an end outcome of causing chaos, while ridding the world of non-believers so that their Mahdi/savior can appear.

Look at what has happened in the short span of a year. Over 2 million are now displaced, over 200,000 have been killed. Refugee camps overflowing and people starving or dying from disease. Attack after attack has been witnessed in village after village by the Boko Haram’s murderous rampage. We have watched whole Christian communities and churches looted and destroyed, many burned to the ground. Aid is not nearly enough, and we’ve reported that rebels have infiltrated refugee camps hiding among the people. Many fearing to even go to the camps for refuge, choosing undesignated areas for safety instead. This in turn makes calculating true numbers of those suffering much harder.

Three armies are now battling this wicked insurrection, from Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. They have joined to form a multi-national force with France supplying logistics. Young children have been forced and indoctrinated into their armies, and as recently reported little girls used as suicide bombers. Women and children are kidnapped and used as slaves, raped and tortured. Christians are slaughtered for not recanting their faith. We have also connected the Janjaweed from Sudan to this group, as well as possible ties with the LRA here and in the CAR. Now Libya has been overrun with ISIS as allegiances grow and formed.

Voice of America is reporting of one refugee camp in Cameroon, that has grown to 40,000. They describe deplorable conditions with no running water, no toliet facilities, and very little food. The displaced complain that Christians and Muslims are put together in the camps. With the inhumane attacks by the Boko Haram many Christians are mistrusting of Muslims in such close proximity. Knowing insurgents infiltrate these camps, Muslims are feared as Boko Haram with many frequently taken away. There is much confusion in this crisis that has been allowed to explode not only by Nigeria, but global governments who’ve been fore warned. Fear grows for innocents mistook for insurgents, Muslim and Christian alike.

VOA reports that a humanitarian crises is looming in Cameroon. They report that ” last week, the Cameroonian forces arrested hundreds of the refugees saying they were suspected Boko Haram fighters who had infiltrated the camp. Yega (a resident) said life has been extremely difficult for him and his family for the one week he has been here. I brought all of my family. My wife is in the market, my children are from school. They give us food normally, but the feeding will not satisfy us. That is why they call us here today in a meeting so, may be tomorrow they will give us feeding [more food], he said. “We eat two times in a day. We cook in our various houses. Mouhaman Boukar, a cattle rancher who fled from Yerwa, Borno State said he is thankful to God for saving his life from the insurgents, but said the increasing number of Nigerians in the refugee camp is making living conditions unbearable.” (More)

Our contacts are reporting similar conditions in the refugee camps and deplorable conditions for many. Churches are struggling to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the people.

Maiduguri Christians are living in fear of Boko Haram taking control of the city. The control of Maiduguri could cause an unrevokable change the political landscape

Martin Ewi, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies said, “Maiduguri is very important, extremely important, we’re talking about two million people who live in that city.” He warned, “The strategic importance of Maiduguri cannot be overestimated. “If they can take Maiduguri, taking over the whole state will be a matter of time.”

They are worried Boko Haram has placed ‘sleeper cells’ among the refugees in Maiduguri, as they have done everywhere else in their efforts to take control. If Maiduguri were to be attacked, 200,000 Christians would be at risk, unable to escape and possibly slaughtered.

Neighboring countries, Niger, Chad and Cameroon have also become targets as their forces have joined the battle against the radical insurgents. Two people were killed in Niger on Thursday by a mine thought to have been planted by Boko Haram.

Still Reeling from Tuesday’s Attacks Suicide Bombers Target Christian Areas Again on Thursday

Explosions in Nigeria’s north-central city of Jos and the northeast town of Biu over the past two days have killed at least 34 people, witnesses said Thursday.

A suicide bomber killed people at a bus station in Biu, witnesses say, while a second bomber was caught by a crowd and reportedly beaten to death. Reports claim a second bomber was killed before carrying out his mission.

One of the bombers refused to stop at a check point then detonated. A witness claimed, the bomber may have been heading toward Biu market, but could not get past security points set up by the Civilian JTF

Following the Biu attack, two roadside bombs exploded in the city of Jos killed at least 15 people at a bus station and the motor park near the university. Witnesses claim they heard a “loud sound” then another blast moments later.

Video taken at the scene of one blast is simply to graphic to share. Please pray for the victims and their families.

Do not let up in your prayers for Nigeria.

Voice of the Persecuted

Pakistan: A Country Torn Between Democracy & Sharia Law

January 18, 2015 4:34 pm / Leave a comment

(Voice of the Persecuted) As it seems the world leaders have united in the fight against ideologies that breed terror and persecution, while the long list of countries go virtually unchecked for their Human Rights abuses and the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. Pakistan is on this list, though it has not gone un-noticed by all in the world. Watchdog groups are again reporting on the practices of singling out the poor, the uneducated, the religious minorities, women and children.

As we modernize everything including our customs, times and laws, Pakistan’s draconian laws such as the ‘Blasphemy’ law, and the bonded labor program beg for attention from the ‘modern’ world at large. The West claims, we are global citizens that pride ourselves in modernity, freedom, and peace. But the last year alone, is far from anything resembling global freedom from oppression and peace.

Christian Publications are reporting on the December attack on 13 Christian families in Pakistan whose homes were destroyed by a local government in Punjab Province. These families were attacked because they refused to work in Pakistan’s bonded labor program in the Brick Kilns.

Last year, many in the world became aware of the Brick Kilns when a mob attacked bonded Christian workers, the wife falsely accused of blasphemy and burned them alive in the very Kiln they attended.

Attack victims,Shazad Masih and his wife Shama Shazad Masih were brutally murdered at a brick kiln

The man and his pregnant wife was severely beaten, their legs broken so they could not run, stripped naked and thrown into the fire of a kiln oven. The crazed mob then stood and watched them die. The couple was part of the bonded labor program. The world was shocked, and cried out for justice, but justice has not come leaving many at risk of the same violence.

Brick-kilns, which are located on the outskirts of most major cities and towns in Pakistan, operate almost exclusively on the basis of debt-bondage.

Photos of Brick Kiln where attack took place below

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In December, after the November attacks of the Christian couple, a local government authority destroyed the homes of 13 Christian families because they refused to participate in this barbaric and draconian practice.

The ‘bonded labor program is said to be illegal in Pakistan, but it is ignored and thriving. Many are used for human trafficking such as prostitution, forced marriage, servitude and hard labor in agriculture or the brick kilns. A large number of the women and girls are continually raped by their employers, who see them as property to do to with them as they please. A stark contrast to Western ideals.

In Pakistani employers thriving on bonded labor, believe they own their workers, buying, selling, even trading them. They seek out the poorest, many uneducated and offered their children a bright future. A future that will provide them with wealth and prosperity if they will only sign their children over to them. And a brutal life of servitude and abuse begins. Underpaid and unable to support themselves, their debt to employers accumulates. These debts never get paid off due to the large interest or being falsely accused by the employer of owing more than agreed. Families are enslaved with responsiblity to cover their parents debt when they die. The vicious cycle repeating from generation to generation.

As you see in the video above, they propose a safe and prosperous alternative for widows. And monumentally, no one seems to care because they are poor, uneducated and homeless. At least that’s how it’s justified in this ‘civilized’ world.

What we know about Pakistan’s bonded labor program:

Also called Debt bondage (debt slavery or bonded labor) is a person’s pledge of their labor or services as security for the repayment for a debt or other obligation.
Debt bondage has been described by the United Nations as a form of “modern day slavery”
Debt bondage was “quite normal” in classical antiquity.
Debt bondage can be passed from generation to generation. which is common in Pakistan
As early as 1926 the United Nations recognized this in various articles and banned debt or bonded slavery, as well as serfdom, child marriage, servile marriage, and child servitude. In 1956 articles were put in place to make these practices illegal and there were 35 signatories and 123 Parties. India and Pakistan both agreed to these articles, but sadly the practice of slavery freely continues in both countries. The Articles are as follows:

The parties commit to abolish and abandon debt bondage, serfdom, servile marriage and child servitude.
The parties commit to enacting minimum ages of marriage, encouraging registration of marriages, and encouraging the public declaration of consent to marriage.
Criminalisation of slave trafficking.
Runaway slaves who take refuge on flag vessels of parties shall thereby ipso facto attain their freedom.
Criminalisation of the marking (including mutilation and branding) of slaves and servile persons.
Criminalisation of enslavement and giving others into slavery.
Definitions of ‘slave’, “a person of servile status” and “slave trade”

9. No reservations may be made to this Convention.

12. This Convention shall apply to all non-self-governing-trust, colonial and other non-metropolitan territories to the international relations of which any State Party is responsible.

The World spoke and made provisions for a barbaric practice to be abolished, yet still practiced throughout the world, including the Middle East under the guise of a religious law, as we see the IS claiming in Iraq, today. Many are unaware slavery is ongoing and a robust industry, such as in nations like Saudi Arabia.

The US began providing assistance to Pakistan in 1947 and it continues to this day. It has grown to at least 1.6 Billion a year. Only coming into question in the years after 9/11 when Osama Bin Laden was thought to be hiding in the country As Fox news reported, some in our government consider them invaluable in counter-terrorism, and see them as only taking US money while helping our enemies. Do they turn their eyes away from these human rights abuses? It is said that money to Pakistan helps open schools and agriculture grow. But if this is the case, we must ask, why are theses laborers, human beings treated in this manner?

Asia Bibi has sat in a cell for 5 years charged with blasphemy. Her crime was being thirsty and taking a drink of water from a Muslim well, defiling it because she was a Christian. Asia maintains she was falsely accused and innocent of the blasphemy charge. Asia’s persecution case has been highlighted to the international community, with many condemning the sentence and calling for her release.

The Blasphemy Law in Pakistan is just as brutal and barbaric as the Bonded labor. There have been many killed, imprisoned, or fleeing the country to avoid persecution via this law.

Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law:

The Pakistani penal code actually prohibits blasphemy against any religion. However it’s used against Christians and other minorities. Since 1987 approximately 1300 people have been charged with this law, the majority for desecrating the Koran.
Over 50 people accused of blasphemy have been murdered before their respective trials were over and prominent figures who opposed blasphemy laws (Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities and Salman Taseer, the former governor of Punjab) have been assassinated. Taseer’s killer said, the former governor deserved his fate, because he had the audacity to show sympathy for Asia Bibi. Not only had Taseer called for Bibi’s pardon, he criticised as a “black law” the criminal code that saw her convicted in the first place. Since 1990, 62 people have been murdered as a result of blasphemy allegations.
Asia Bibi has been sentenced to death and is awaiting an appeal. If she is not granted a successful appeal she will be the first woman to be hanged in Pakistan. The courts have repeatedly postponed the appeal hearing.
In early 2013, After hearing accusations that a Christian man committed blasphemy against Islam’s prophet, over 3,000 Muslim protesters turned violent after Friday prayers destroying an entire Christian neighborhood that was burned to the ground.
Pakistan’s laws became particularly severe between 1980 and 1986, when a number of clauses were added to the laws by the military government of General Zia-ul Haq, to “Islamicise” the laws and deny the Muslim character of the Ahmadi minority. Prior to 1986, only 14 cases pertaining to blasphemy were reported.
Pakistans Blasphemy laws are the strictest of the Islamic Nations.
In addition to derogatory remarks about the Prophet, uttering of any word, making any sound or gesture, placing of any object in the sight with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person, is also considered blasphemy.

Pakistan’s own constitution actually calls for religious freedom. Ironic, isn’t it? As with other jihadist groups, Pakistan’s Taliban has united with ISIS. ISIS is garnering more and more support. Recently, the world reeled at the news of a school massacre when the Taliban attacked the institution where those in the Pakistani military sent their children. Many little ones were killed. The Government has responded to this attack and executed about 100 of those responsible.

Protest in support of terrorists attack in Paris

Protests in the streets are taking place in support of the terrorists who carried out the massacre in Paris. The student wing of the Jaamat-e-Islami party is responsible for the protests after Friday prayers in Karachi. The police had to use tear gas, to hold them back from storming the French Consolate. Three were wounded.

It’s also worthy of noting that Pakistan is one of the world ‘s countries that have nuclear weapons. If the Pakistan Government should ever fail, the implications of the Taliban or ISIS taking over is bone chilling.

Pray with Us for these precious soul’s in Pakistan, and let them know they are not forgotten.

1. Pray that God will bring justice to His elect, His chosen ones in Pakistan. That is those who are caught up in this economic slavery of bonded labor…….Luke 18:7-8, Psalm 140:12

2. Pray that God will deliver the poor believers in Pakistan from their economic poverty. That churches and ministries would provide a way for those in economic poverty to start self sustaining businesses…….Psalm 72:13-14, Galatians 6:10

3. Pray for a repeal if the blasphemy laws, for Pakistain to honor freedom of religion, for justice to be done regarding the persecutors of Christians, and the stability of the government in Pakistan……1 Timothy 2:1-4

4. Pray for the release of Asia Bibi and other believers in prison in Pakistan…….Hebrews 13:3.

5. Pray for the gospel to go forth in Pakistan…….Mark 16:15.

Together with your generous support, we can reach the goal to alleviate their suffering. In darkness and desperation, let us serve in love, with open arms and giving hands to provide light and hope.

Voice of the Persecuted Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit and link back to Voice of the Persecuted

Urgent Prayer Request: Missionary and his children have been martyred in Afghanistan

November 30, 2014 7:29 pm / 3 Comments on Urgent Prayer Request: Missionary and his children have been martyred in Afghanistan

One of our contacts in South Africa and dear brother in Christ has notified VOP that a beloved co-worker, also a South African, Werner Groenewald has been killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. He had been running an education charity. His two teenage children were also killed. His wife escaped death, as she was not home at the time of the attack.

Reports claim a Taliban spokesman said in a statement that it was targeting “a secret Christian missionary and foreign invaders’ intelligence center.”

The small California-based NGO that he had been working with shared this statement on their website:

“It is with great sadness that we report the death and injuries of several of our staff yesterday during an attack on the offices of Partnership in Academics and Development in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attack which occurred on November 29, 2014 by multiple gunmen included one who detonated a personal explosive device killing three and injuring other staff members.

We are caring for all staff and their families as they grieve the loss of their friends and co-workers and nurse the wounded. We honor their commitment to the people of Afghanistan. We grieve for their loss and hold them close to our heart. Our thoughts are with the survivors and their families as they grieve the loss of life. Their selfless sacrifice for the people of Afghanistan is an inspiration to all.

In the midst of this unprovoked attack, Partnership in Academics and Development remains committed to providing educational resources for Afghan citizens as they become part of the international community.”

An expression of grief and anguish and an appeal for the wider body of Christ to share in the pain of this family.

Please pray the Lord will comfort his wife, Hannelie Groenewald who has also lost her children. And for all those who love them.

Thank you for always committing to pray for those enduring great suffering. To them, your prayers are priceless!

killed in Afghanistan

Continued Attacks on Nigerian Villages Dash Hopes for Kidnapped Schoolgirls

October 20, 2014 4:10 pm / 2 Comments on Continued Attacks on Nigerian Villages Dash Hopes for Kidnapped Schoolgirls

(Voice of the Persecuted) One day after so-called representatives of the Boko Haram sect signed a ceasefire accord with the government, the sect went on a rampage killing people in Christian areas with an undisclosed number of people having been killed. Many are feared dead.

The attacks are seen as reneging from the ceasefire agreement with government. One source from Maiduguri said celebrations had barely began when they received the news of the fresh attacks by Boko Harm. They are now left with a sense that there was no such agreement or, “perhaps, they are more than a terror group.”

A few days ago the Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mike Omeri said in a news briefing, “The discussions are essentially in relation to the general insecurity in the North-east and also the need to rescue all captives of the terrorists, including the students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok. “Already, the terrorists have announced a ceasefire in furtherance of their desire for peace. In this regard, the government of Nigeria has, in a similar vein, declared a ceasefire.”

Following the announcement of ceasefire between the government and the Boko Haram, which has brutally killed thousands of people on their quest of establishing an Islamic State ruled by Sharia Law, many Nigerians, VOP advocates, including our team members in the region who are very aware of the antics of the sect—called for caution.

The terror sect renewed attacks on Shaffa, Hawul Local Government in South of Borno, which reportedly killed 8 locals with several injured. Hundreds of others were claimed to have fled their homes.

All Africa reported a survivor as saying, “There was pandemonium in Shaffa as Boko Haram invaded the nearby village, shooting at everybody at sight. We had to flee into the bush and as I am talking to you many of us are taking refuge in the bush.”

The gunmen returned back to the town to gather corpses of slain members for burial. A gunfight with members of the Civilian-JTF ensued and many may have been killed including Boko Haram militants.

An attack on Abadam village in the northern part of Borno state where they reportedly beheaded several villagers including the father of a former Speaker of the Borno state House of Assembly, Goni Ali Modu.

According to Leadership news outlet, a resident of Abadam said, “dozens of gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram have taken over Abadam. They have been in Abadam since Thursday but finally [hoisted] their flags on Friday after killing many prominent people and forcing others to cross over to Niger.” He relayed that 30 people have been killed in Abadam alone, but was unsure of the actual number and that many people, especially the old are still in Abadam because they could not flee.

Trapped but fortunate to escape, residents of Bama local government area of Borno state where the Boko Haram had seized for about two months now have reported cases of serial killings of helpless residents by the Boko Haram terrorists.

One woman, Fatima Bulama, who managed to escape to Maiduguri on foot last Monday said “things are getting worst in Bama; they are killing people selectively everyday. Days before I managed to escape, they gathered all the younger women and divided them into three groups according to their age grade and then they took them away; we never knew what would become of them, but I know it would be something terrible.”

A member of the local vigilante in the area, Kashim Abba, said in Maiduguri that the sect had shown that there was no ceasefire with the latest attack. In Michia, Filli said the insurgents had overrun the villages in the earlier hours of Saturday and burnt down houses in the village, forcing residents to flee.

Earlier, a group of insurgents attacked the Borno town of Sabon Gida, said one military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. “The fight was tough and it seems the insurgents wanted to destroy everything in Sabon Gida.”

Another said, “The ceasefire is good but we are wary of these people, besides they know us, we don’t know them. Whatever turns up, we are ready. The only regret is that so many people have been killed already but that is our pledge, to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria against all odds,” he said.

On Sunday, Nigerian Army troops fought members of Boko Haram in the town of Damboa in Borno state.

With the latest attacks hopes are waning for the release of the 200+ Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped six months ago by the terror group. A parent of one of the missing girls, Lawan Abana said, “We were in jubilation. We had every reason to be happy … but since then the ceasefire has been broken in quite a number of places already.” Other parents have expressed their concerns and disappointment, but are trying to remain optimistic for the sake of their children.

Some question if Christians are being targeted, if the attacks are only tribal battles, or reprisals against the government or civilized activity. The Church in north Nigeria is strong. Boko Haram wants to eliminate the churches because they are unacceptable to Muslims. They don’t want Christians in the Muslim areas, so they bomb those places of worship, or refuse to give them a license to worship.

In September, Nigeria’s Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) President, Samuel Dali said the headquarters of the church is under grave threat from the Islamic extremist insurgents who seek to impose sharia (Islamic law) throughout the country.

“Boko Haram violence has been getting worse every day, and our members are fleeing the area by the thousands,” he said. “Recent attacks in Borno and Adamawa states where are our churches are located have seen Boko Haram take over the Army base. As a result, about 350 Christians have been killed.”

Boko Haram has warned Christians in North Nigeria to leave or convert to Islam.

In June you may have seen the World Watch Top 10 Violence List. Nigeria ranks No. 1 in the Top 10. Levels of violence in Nigeria remained extremely high. Nigeria consists of two parts: the predominantly Christian South and the Muslim North. Most incidents are recorded in the northern part of the country where Islamic Sharia Law has been implemented in many states, but fanatical movements, such as Boko Haram, fight to further Islamize society. Boko Haram continues to attack Christians on a large scale by burning down and bombing churches and Christian property, assaulting and kidnapping Christian women and girls. Another main driver for violence against Christians are the Muslim Fulani herdsmen. They come down from northern states to areas where Christian live and try to take over land that belongs to Christians. It has been proven the Boko Haram supplies heavy weapons and encourages the Fulani Muslims to attack Chrisitans, with many joining to become members of the brutal sect. See our Apr. 23, 2014 report: Fulani herdsmen confess to membership of Boko Haram

HELP SAVE THE PERSECUTED

VOP Note: Remember Nigeria and the faithful in your prayers. Pray for peace and the release of all who have been abducted. Pray all enemy plans will be foiled.

Together with your generous support, we can reach the goal to alleviate their suffering. In darkness and desperation, let us serve in love, with open arms and giving hands to provide light and hope.

Thank you for your support. We couldn’t do it without you!

Two Attempted Murders by Boko Haram Show Islamic Extremist Motives

October 11, 2014 12:00 pm / Leave a comment

Boko Haram members cut the back of the neck of Adamu, a Christian in Gwoza, Borno state. (Morning Star News)

Morning Star News) – Adamu, 28, bears a scar on the back of his neck where two members of the Islamic extremist group Boko Harm tried to slaughter him.

A member of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) in Gwoza, Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, Adamu told Morning Star News that in April 2013 he was working on his bean farm in Musari village, in the Mungono area, when a member of the insurgent Boko Haram approached him.

“He told me to convert to Islam and join them in waging a jihad to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria,” said Adamu, whose surname is withheld for security reasons. “I told him that I will not renounce my Christian faith in order to embrace Islam. He left me there on my farm without saying anything again.”

Two days later, five other members of Boko Haram showed up. The insurgency is fighting to impose strict sharia (Islamic law) throughout Nigeria.

“They said their member told them that I refused to renounce being a Christian and wanted to know whether it is true that I refused to become a Muslim,” Adamu said, adding that he told them it was true. “They then told me that since I refused to recant, they would kill me.”

When he refused their order to lie down, they seized him and tied his hands and legs behind his back, he said.

“They pinned me down and told me they will make death painful and slow, as they are not prepared to waste their bullets on me,” he said. “They also said they would not give me the honor of slaughtering me by cutting my neck from the front, because that is the way they slaughter their rams.

“They forced me down on my stomach and then proceeded to slaughter me by cutting my neck from the back. I was bleeding and went blank as the knife cut through my neck. It was pains I cannot explain to you. After cutting my neck, they left me bleeding.”

Adamu lay there for days, he said, adding that his survival was miraculous; only later would he learn that the Boko Haram members had threatened to kill anyone in the village who helped him.

“It was only after I was taken to the hospital that I was told that the Boko Haram members who attacked me on the farm had gone to the village shortly after leaving me bleeding to death and had warned other Muslims that if any of them dares to rescue me, he would be killed,” he said. “They sternly warned other Muslims in Musari, ‘We have butchered an infidel there on his farm. Be warned that if any of you Muslims dares to assist him, he is also an infidel and we shall make sure that he too is killed.”

Though the villagers were afraid to rescue him, eventually a member of his church snuck onto the farm and found him alive, he said.

“He went back to the village and mobilized some of our church members who came to the farm and took me away,” Adamu said.

They took him to a Christian hospital in Cameroon.

“I was taken to Adventist Hospital, Koza, in Cameroon, and treated for three months before I was referred to this hospital here in Jos,” Adamu said. “The cut on my neck, doctors say, has affected some nerves and veins in my body, thereby making it difficult for me to move my limbs. Right now, I am still learning how to move my hands and legs.”

Adamu said that before the attack on his farm, Boko Harm destroyed his EYN church building in Musari, and all Christians there fled.

“As I talk to you, there are no more Christians in Musari village,” he said. “They attacked Christians and destroyed the church building where we worship. Our pastor and other Christians, about 120 of them, were forced to flee.”

Boko Haram and others killed 1,631 Christians in Nigeria for their faith in the first six months of 2014 – a figure that is 91 percent of the total Christians killed in the country in all of last year, according to advocacy group Jubilee Campaign. Last year 1,783 Nigerian Christians were killed for their faith, according to Jubilee Campaign. The increase in Christian deaths this year accompanies an increase in the total number of people killed during the period, mainly by Boko Haram – 4,099, which is 975 more than the total deaths from attacks by religious extremists for all of last year, 3,124, according to Jubilee.

While Boko Haram (translated as “Western education is a sin”) is the moniker residents of Maiduguri, Borno state gave the insurgents, the group calls itself the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal–Jihad, translated as “The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad.” The United States designated it as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in November 2013.

Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria’s population of 158.2 million, while Muslims account for 45 percent and live mainly in the north.

Gunshot Survivor

Boko Haram violence has increased in number and force since 2009 after it developed ties with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM). A 29-year-old Christian in Kauri, Borno state who felt the force of Boko Harm weaponry in December 2012 said he would invite his assailants to dine with him.

A married father of three children ages 7, 5 and 1, Ayuba (surname withheld) told Morning Star News he has forgiven the gunmen who shot him three times.

“Despite my ordeal at the hands of these Boko Haram gunmen, I want to assure you that I hold no grudges against them,” he said. “If I see any of them today, I will still welcome them to my house and feed them. Jesus Christ, our Lord, taught us to love those who hate us.”

Ayuba and his wife were working on their farm in the village of Mainari, on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest in Borno state, on Dec. 20, 2012, when he returned to his house to rest. He was surprised to find two motorcycles parked beside his house, he said.

“I parked my motorcycle outside the house too, and then went inside, and just then I heard movement outside the house,” he said.

He went out to find two armed Boko Haram members; they asked him his name. When he told them, they asked if it was true that he was a Christian. A member of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), he responded that he was.

“From their utterances I knew that they must have gotten detailed information about me from our Muslim neighbors in Mainari village,” he said. “Having confirmed I was the person they were looking for, they told that my end had come. ‘You have refused to become a Muslim in spite of all pressure from our Muslim brothers here,’ one of them told me. ‘You have refused to renounce your faith in Jesus. So, we have no option than to kill you.’”

He then recalled that Muslims in Kauri twice had tried to convert him.

“I braced up and asked the gunmen why they want to kill me simply because I am a Christian, and the second among the two gunmen told me that, ‘You are an infidel, and we do not want to have infidels living among us here.’”

They demanded money and the keys to his motorbike. After forcefully taking the keys to his vehicle and removing 35,000 naira (US$212) from his pocket, they told him to lie down because they were going to shoot him, he said.

“Instead of obeying their instructions, I started praying,” he said. “They became angry because I was praying out loud and calling on the name of Jesus. They shoved me in an effort to force me down to the ground. Eventually they succeeded in forcing me to the ground, and then one of them ordered his colleague to shoot me.”

He heard a gunshot, and a bullet pierced his left hand, which he had used to cover his chest, he said. A second shot aimed at his stomach, which he was covering with his right hand. The bullet pierced his right hand.

“To the surprise of the gunmen, they found I was still alive and praying,” he said. “The gunman who gave the orders that I should be shot was angry that his colleague did not kill me in spite of two point-blank gunshots.”

The one who had given the orders angrily cocked his gun and shot at his forehead, he said.

“One experience I will not forget throughout my life is that the bullet from the third shot hit me on my forehead and bounced to hit me on my right shoulder, instead of penetrating through my skull,” he said. “To me, this is a miracle, as I cannot explain how three shots were fired at me at point-blank range, yet I was still alive.”

The two Boko Haram gunmen took him for dead as they rode away, he said.

“After about an hour, my wife returned to find me on the spot where I was shot,” he said. “I still could talk, but the state she saw me in was shocking to her, so she began to cry.”

He asked her to search for help, which did not arrive until five hours later. He had been shot at about 3 p.m., and a neighbor his wife found came to help him at 8 p.m., he said. He was taken first to Kauri, then to General Hospital in Konduga. Doctors treating him there advised that he be taken away lest the Boko Haram gunmen trace him and kill him at the hospital.

His wife and other relatives moved him to Adventist Hospital at Kozat, Cameroon, where he remained for three months before going to an undisclosed town.

Boko Haram has destroyed his COCIN church building in Kauri, he said, and all Christians there have fled.

“Some of our church members died in the attack by Boko Haram gunmen, while others were forced to flee to Cameroon, where they are now refugees,” he said. “I have been praying that these Boko Haram gunmen will eventually get to know Jesus, repent of their crimes against the church, and become the followers of Jesus.”

Morning Star News

HELP SAVE THE PERSECUTED

VOP Note: Remember Nigeria and the faithful in your prayers. Together with your generous support, we can reach the goal to alleviate their suffering. In darkness and desperation, let us serve in love, with open arms and giving hands to provide light and hope.
Thank you for your support!

Tortured in Ukraine: Pray For Christians Living a Nightmare

September 22, 2014 12:43 am / Leave a comment

NIGERIA: Eyewitness Accounts of Slaughter in Gwoza Attack

August 24, 2014 2:49 pm / 2 Comments on NIGERIA: Eyewitness Accounts of Slaughter in Gwoza Attack

VOP Nigerian Foreign Correspondent

(Voice of the Persecuted) The Islamic Ideology of converting the Christian community with violence has come to stay in Northern Nigeria. The capture of Gwoza local government by Islamic Militants on 6^th August 2014 was reported all over the media. They mounted their black flag with sword logo in the middle of the town, destroyed several houses, burnt down churches, captured military personnel and brutally massacred the people. Muslim owned media houses quickly went on air and told world cable channels that Muslims were the ones that suffered in the attacks. They didn’t report that Christians were slaughtered like animals on account of their faith, some burned alive after being thrown into fire. And that Christian remains were left unburied decomposing on the ground .

Prominent Christians who suffered in the attack stated that many Christian youths were forcefully recruited to join the insurgents in working for Allah. One eyewitness named those he knew that were massacred in Church of Brethren (EYN) as Markus Kulka (50 years) Ishaku Zhadava (55 Years) and Student Pastor Gambo Zakariya (35 Years) who had his throat slit for refusing to convert to Islam.

Another witness who narrowly escaped the insurgents recalled that there were many Christians who gave up and the insurgents took them away. He told Voice of the Persecuted’s correspondent, “I’m not sure whether they have killed them or not.” “There were also brave Christians who died because they refused to compromise. Adamu Vime (55 years) and Godiya Markus (20 years) were killed in my presence” he said. Sharing his own experience he observed the Boko haram seemed to hate the sign of the cross most. “All the Christians wearing a cross were said to be slaughtered. Any church building that had a cross on it was brought down.”

Since from the time the insurgents took over Gwoza and mounted their flag, hundreds of Christians have been killed and their property were looted. Those who were able to escape went to Michika (a Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria) as displaced people, some stopped in Madagali, Gulak, Mubi and other villages in the borders of Borno and Adamawa States helpless without shelter, food or water to drink. “I have not eaten for 6 days,” said one of the survivors.

Our correspondent gathered that thousands of Christians who ran to the hills were still trapped there by the Boko haram. “They have been there for a week without food or water”, a witness said. Many who escaped to the hills, but bled to death from bullet wounds. One of the pastors spoke directly with the Boko Haram telling them, “What you’re doing is not a work of Allah, repent or else you will enter hell.” They then killed the pastor. One of the Christians told our correspondent, “I saw it with my eyes. His corpse laid decomposing on the ground until some elderly women went and buried it.”

Voice of the Persecuted

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