For information about Orthodox Christianity in Nigeria, see here.
For previous coverage of the persecution of Christians in Nigeria from ChristianPersecution.com, see here.
“Christians Slain in Kano and Plateau States, Nigeria,” Morning Star News, September 30, 2022:
…In central Nigeria’s Plateau state, suspected Fulani herdsmen on Sunday (Sept. 25) killed one Christian in Riyom County and another in Mangu County, sources said. A Christian woman in Riyom County was also killed on Sept. 19.
Alpha Pam Baren, 23, was ambushed and killed in Bangai village, Riyom County, at about 2:20 p.m. on Sunday (Sept. 25), said Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, director of the Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria (ECCVN). Baren, his father and others had spotted herds of cattle grazing on their rice farm and went to drive them out, Mwantiri said.
“On their way returning back to their village, while Baren’s colleagues had gone ahead, unknown to him some Fulani herdsmen had hid themselves in a nearby bush, waiting to ambush him,” Mwantiri said. “The herdsmen ambushed him and stabbed him.”
Baren was rescued and taken to Vom Christian Hospital, a facility of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), where he died, Mwantiri said, adding that such attacks are part of an attempted genocide.
“This is an all-encompassing strategy of wiping the entire Christian population from our ancestral land and the face of the earth,” he said. “So far, more than 600 farmlands in Christian communities of Heipang, Gashish, Ropp, Wereng, Kwi, Jol, Bachi, Rahoss, Foron, Gyel, Vwang, and Kuru, with crops worth over 200 million naira [US$462,396], have been destroyed by the herdsmen in the past five months.”
In Jannaret village, Mangu County, “herdsmen and bandits” on Sunday (Sept. 25) attacked at about 7:30 p.m., killing one Christian, Linus Mapack, and wounding two others, area resident Yusuf Charles said.
“They shot at anyone in sight,” Charles told Morning Star News in a text message. “It was during this sporadic shooting that a Christian was killed, and two others were injured. Some days back also, another Christian was also shot dead in Chanso village, another Christian community.”
In Tangur village, Bokkos County, suspected Fulani herdsmen kidnapped a Christian on Sunday (Sept. 25), an area resident said.
“Fulani herdsmen have kidnapped one Jerry Fwankis, a Christian in Bokkos Local Government Area,” area resident John Akans told Morning Star News in a text message. “We are deeply saddened by this incident. These onslaughts by armed herdsmen have assumed epidemic levels and need to be contained urgently by Nigeria’s security agencies.”
In predominanty Christian Tal village, Pankshin County, local community leader Nanleng Gotus was kidnapped at about 1 a.m. Monday (Sept. 26), said area resident Joshua Gofwen.
“The Fulani herdsmen and armed bandits abducted the community leader, Nanleng Gotus, at gunpoint,” Gofwen told Morning Star News in a text message. “His abductors have already communicated with his family and are demanding a ransom of 50 million naira (US$115,600).”
In Mere village, Riyom County, “a group of Fulani militias” on Sept. 19 ambushed and killed a Christian woman as she worked on her farm, Mwantiri said. Laraba Dauda was 60 years old….
Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.
Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.
In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.
