Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists killed eight Christians in Plateau state, Nigeria, and wounded five others on October 1, according to local Morning Star News sources.
The raiders attacked Du village, in Bassa County’s Kwall District, with two children among those slain and the wounded requiring hospital treatment, said Davidson Malison, spokesman of the Irigwe Development Association (IDA), in a press statement.
‘The Fulani militias stormed the community at about 8.10pm … and sprayed bullets on the bodies of innocent Christians who were asleep,’ Malison said, adding that children aged nine and 11 years old were among the dead.
He called on the Nigerian Government urgently to task security personnel to arrest those responsible.
‘The terrorists are known to the Nigerian Government, and they are not ghosts nor invisible,’ he said. ‘They had made threatening statements particularly to our communities in [the] recent past. We’re not only saddened by this unfortunate development and occurrence but completely depressed and broken-hearted.’
The attack had enveloped the local community in ‘tears, sorrow and sadness’, he added.
In Plateau state’s Atuhun Panyam village in Mangu County three Christians were reported to have been killed on September 27. In a press statement area community leaders Longse Jokle and Joshua Gufwam expressed sadness over continued attacks on Christians in the state.
Jokle and Gufwam, president and secretary respectively of the Panyam District Development Association, called on the country’s security agencies to halt attacks on Christians in Plateau.
‘We condemn the killing of the three Christian farmers and call on security agencies to go after the killers,’ they said.
UPDATES
Release International’s associate ministry Voice of the Martyrs Korea (VOM Korea) has welcomed a ruling by South Korea’s Constitutional Court that the Government’s law criminalising the use of balloons to carry Bibles and Scripture pamphlets into North Korea was an excessive restriction on free speech.
In response VOM Korea said: ‘Voice of the Martyrs of Korea has been sending Bibles to North Korea via balloon in a safe, quiet, accurate, legal, and eco-friendly manner while maintaining excellent, mutually respectful relationships with local law enforcement authorities and communities even before the law banning anti-North Korea leaflets was implemented. Today’s ruling by the Constitutional Court confirms that what we have been doing is the best approach. For the safety and security of those working with Voice of the Martyrs Korea, we will not comment on any future activities or plans related to balloons… we will continue to do what we have always done.’
Our Prayer Alert on September 11 included a request for prayer for Eleazar Sidhu, a pastor in Pakistan who was allegedly shot and wounded by assailants in Jaranwala. It has since come to light that the allegations he made were false and his injury was self-inflicted. The Presbyterian Church of Pakistan recently dismissed Eleazar after he confessed to making the false allegations. In a video published online, he claimed that his actions were motivated by stress and a desire for police protection – in response to the attacks on the Christian community. Whatever the motivation for his actions, we encourage prayer for him and the leadership of the denomination during this difficult time.
Eleazar, who has been charged with making false allegations, will remain in Faisalabad jail on judicial remand until October 14. A conviction under the false allegations charge could result in a prison term of up to seven years and a fine.
ISRAEL
Please pray for Christians and the situation in Israel. Our friends Voice of the Martyrs USA provide local help including front-line workers in key regions, supporting training for local churches and help with Bible distribution. They also provide legal aid for Messianic (Christian) Jews who are harassed or deprived of their legal rights. Please pray that followers of Christ – whether Messianic Jews or Arab believers – will know God’s protection during this volatile time. Thank God that the Israeli authorities have condemned recent harassment of Christians in Jerusalem’s Old City.
(Sources include Morning Star News, Voice of the Martyrs Canada, VOM Korea and VOM USA)