Persecution of Christians in Nigeria: Rev. Lawan Andimi was kidnapped in late December and his video was released on January 5, as we reported here at ChristianPersecution.com on January 10. This article about his having been murdered is dated January 21. The Nigerian government thus had several weeks to rescue Rev. Andimi, and yet did nothing.
Official indifference to the plight of Christians is epidemic worldwide. Please continue to pray that the eyes of governing authorities be opened, and that their hearts be turned, so that this global persecution, unparalleled since the days before Saints Constantine and Helen, be ended.
For previous coverage of the persecution of Christians in Nigeria at ChristianPersecution.com, see here.
“Nigerian pastor who praised God in ransom video beheaded after refusing to deny Christ,” by Samuel Smith, Christian Post, January 21, 2020:
A pastor who made headlines earlier this month for praising God in a ransom video has been executed by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria.
International human rights activists have condemned the killing of Rev. Lawan Andimi, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria’s chapter in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Andimi was declared missing on Jan. 3 following a raid by the Islamic extremist group in Michika. Video posted online appears to show Andimi being forced into a vehicle by his captors.
Days later, Andimi was seen in a video released by his captors calling on fellow Christian leaders and state government officials to secure his release.
Despite the situation, Andimi said in the video that he was not discouraged because “all conditions that one finds himself is in the hand of God.”
“By the grace of God, I will be together with my wife and my children and all my colleagues,” he said. “If the opportunity has not been granted, maybe it is the will of God.”
On Monday, local sources disclosed to ministry partners in the United States that Andimi was murdered.
A source told the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Save the Persecuted Christians that Andimi’s family was notified about the pastor’s death by the CAN office in the Adamawa state on Monday.
“They have slaughtered him in Sambisa forest,” a source told Save the Persecuted Christians, according to the nonprofit’s Executive Director Dede Laugesen. “They murdered him because he refused to renounce his faith. And because they couldn’t raise the money for his ransom.”…
The local source, whose name could not be revealed for security reasons, told Save the Persecuted Christians that Andimi’s captors demanded 2 million euros in exchange for his release. However, the underserved church community was only able to raise 2 million nairas (4,969.88 euros).
Nigerian investigative journalist Ahmed Salkida reported in a tweet that Andimi was beheaded Monday afternoon. Salkida wrote that he obtained a video of the execution and informed authorities.
CAN spokesperson Bayo Oladeji told the International Centre for Investigative Reporting that the interdenominational umbrella organization plans to release an official statement on Andimi’s execution.
“It is pathetic and painful to learn that such a gentleman could be killed like a ram,” Oladeji was quoted as saying.
Andimi was not the only Christian leader reported to have been killed in Adamawa state this week.
Pastor Denis Bagauri of the Lutheran Church of Nigeria, a well-known political advocate for Christians, was reportedly killed by unknown gunmen in his home in the Nassarawo Jereng of Mayobelwa Local Government Area of Adamawa State Sunday night, according to The Daily Post….
Nigeria ranks as the 12th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA’s 2020 World Watch List.
