These Christians sang: “I will go with Jesus to any length, no matter the roughness of the road. I must go, I must go!” And indeed, the Christians of Nigeria are being called upon to have the faith, courage, and perseverance of the holy martyrs. The persecution has been sharply escalating recently. The United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report that “in 2015, Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani, was elected president of Nigeria. He has done virtually nothing to address the behavior of his fellow tribesmen in the Middle Belt and in the south of the country.”
Nigeria is about 50% Christian. Of those Christians, around 75% are Protestant, 24% Roman Catholic. Of the remaining 1%, there is a small Orthodox Christian community.
For previous coverage of the persecution of Christians in Nigeria from ChristianPersecution.com, see here.
“‘I Will Go With Jesus To Any Length’—Borno Christians Chant As Man Killed During Church Demolition Is Buried,” Sahara Reporters, August 12, 2021:
The EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa of Nigeria) also known as the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, has buried one of its members, Ezekiel Bitrus, who was shot dead during the demolition of the church building by the Borno State Government.
Last Thursday, task force personnel who accompanied the Borno State Geographical Information System (BOGIS) officials to demolish the EYN church building in Maiduguri shot Bitrus in the chest.
SaharaReporters learnt that the security personnel started shooting into the air without any provocation, leading to the ensuing chaos.
The incident triggered outrage among the Christian community. State authorities said they were maintaining communication with the church leadership to douse tension.
At Bitrus’ funeral procession attended by a large crowd, the majority of the mourners did not shed tears.
In a video of the burial online, they are seen in high spirits, singing victory choruses as the casket is carried to the gravesite.
One of the songs chanted in Hausa goes thus: “I will go with Jesus to any length, no matter the roughness of the road. I must go, I must go!”
On Sunday, EYN congregants and other Christians – in solidarity – observed service and prayers on the piles of rubble left of the demolished church….
