A pastor with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Silas Ali, has been killed in Kaduna, North West Nigeria.
Pastor Ali was macheted to death by his assailants in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of the Kaduna.
He was pastoring a branch of ECWA in Kibori-Asha Awuce in the local council.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the incident in a statement, Premium Times newspaper reported.
“Reverend Ali departed for Kafanchan on Saturday, and was not heard from until his corpse was found by a search party early on Sunday at Kibori community, near Asha-Awuce, where he was apparently attacked and macheted to death.
“The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, expressed deep sadness at the report of the killing, which he described as horrifying and cruel. The Governor offered prayers for the repose of the soul of the cleric.
“Going further, Governor El-Rufai sent his condolences to the family of Reverend Silas Yakubu Ali, and to the ECWA Church in Kibori-Asha Awuce, as he prayed for God to grant them fortitude and comfort over this sudden and painful loss.
“The governor urged security agencies to intensify efforts towards apprehending the perpetrators of the heinous killing, while appealing to members of the community to maintain calm.
“Security agencies are conducting investigations in the general area,” the commissioner said.
Another pastor, the Coordinator of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Sumaila Local Government Area of Kano State, Pastor Shuaibu Yohanna, also in the North Western part of the country, was killed on the night of September 22.
CAN President
According to Hausa Christian Foundation, Yohanna, who was a pastor with New Life for All Nation Church in Masu, was macheted by irate Muslims youths in the area, who also burnt down his house, church and school in the night.
Reports narrating the incident said a young man, Sabo Idris, got converted from Islam but was neither going to Church nor mosque, quarrelled and fought with his brother’s wife, Zainab Balan”iya.
He was said to have hit her with a wooden pestle leading to her death. Pastor Yohanna reportedly intervened but was accused of hiding the suspect. Nevertheless, the Christian convert later surrendered himself to the police in the area and was taken to the station for further prosecution.
“The place became so tensed as people who heard the position of the Muslims in the area felt the young man who killed a woman in a fight is a Christian sensing that as usual, they may attack and the reverend is the main target especially because of his exploits.
“He left for one of the neighbouring villages called Biri where he stayed for a night (and) the next day he came back to vacate the school pupils to avoid any eventualities knowing that if the school activities continued, the children can easily be targeted and killed.
“Late Reverend Shuaibu noticed that the tension was dowsed and he thought he could stay with his family and people, but the Muslims gather their mob and descended on him, macheted him badly, burnt his house, the church and the school in the night.”
It was reported that his wife was able to sneak out with the children in the midst of the mob since it was already dark.
It was also reported that information got to the Christian brethren in other villages as well as the vice chairman of CAN, who invited the police. Pastor Yohanna was then rushed to the hospital but he could not make it.
“Reverend stood his ground for the faith even unto death,” the Foundation said. “He went to be with the LORD. The main problem here is the fate of the believers in that community and his family for which he felt nothing to live on as he has all these years been serving faithfully by faith not for money.”
It added, “We know that at this kind of time, it takes immeasurable risk to be a Christian in the northern part of Nigeria. Anyone serving God in Christ, can’t be sure of the following day in this body being in the North.
“Pastor Shuaibu, a soldier of Christ whose blood was spilled for the sake of his faith in Christ went to be with the Lord on the 23rd September, 2021.
“You fought a good fight and won the race, your crown awaits you! We are sure we shall see you someday at the foot of the Master. We are sad here bur Heaven rejoices over your return. The comfort of the Lord be available for your family and the entire body of Christ.
“The church will continue to march even in Kano State in the name of Jesus.”
The Kano State chapter of CAN has demanded for justice on the murder, in a statement by its chairman, Rev. Adeolu Samuel Adeyemo.
“CAN demanded for the immediate arrest and investigation of perpetrators of this dastardly and inhuman act of culpable homicide against our Sumaila CAN Coordinator, Pastor Shuaibu Yohanna and that they be thoroughly prosecuted without any interference whatsoever, from any quarters so that the perpetrators can face the wrath of the law.
“We as CAN Kano State Chapter condemned this dastardly act in his TOTALITY and called on the security agencies in the State to ensure those that are already arrested especially the REAL PERPETRATORS be prosecuted and see they all face the wrath of the law. We further demand that all others involved and yet to be arrested be fished out and they also be prosecuted and justice according to the law of the land be melted on them.
“Furthermore, we demand that all the destroyed Church building and properties, the burnt school buildings and staff office and his destroyed and burnt house and properties be adequately rebuilt and paid for. In the same vein, there is the need for the state government to be all out to give the people living in the state adequate security to protect their lives and properties not minding their tribe, religion or status.”
A group, International Societies for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), in its report recently, said a total of 3,462 Christians were killed in Nigeria in the first 200 days of 2021.
This, it said equates to 17 Christians murdered in the country every day.
The figure is the second highest since 2014 when more than 5,000 Christians deaths were recorded at the hands of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists and Fulani herdsmen, the group said.
Open Door, the Christian watchdog organisation, in its 2020 report ranks Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, as 9th among 50 nations of the world where it is difficult to practice Christianity because of persecution. The country ranked 12th in 2019.