Islamic militants have butchered an elderly Christian man in the Nigerian region of Sanga, Kaduna State.
The attack took place early on November 14 when a group of herdsmen stormed the Christian-majority Agom village and broke into the houses of local residents. Monday Kura, 87, and Emmanuel Agom, 48, who are both members of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC), were slaughtered as they slept in their beds.
“The Fulani herdsmen cut Monday Kura, 87 years, with a machete until he died, while Emmanuel, 48 years, was shot dead with a gun,” local resident Gabriel Yakubu told Morning Star News. “Sir, we need your prayers as my village is on fire and we are not getting any protection from the government.”
This is the first time the Islamic fighters have attacked the village of Agom, though the surrounding areas have been under siege from armed groups in recent years.
In March of this year, the nearby town of Nandu Gbok was set upon by the Islamic fighters, resulting in ten deaths and the burning of some 30 houses.
Last month, a woman was killed and four others were abducted at a church in Ungwan Barau village.
There has, however, been some good news. Just last week, a Nigerian pastor was released after spending months in the clutches of the Islamic terror group, Boko Haram.
Incredibly, despite daily threats and intimidation, Pastor Moses Oyeleke refused to convert to Islam and held fast to his Christian faith.
“I stayed peacefully with them for up to seven months. Many times they have requested me to convert to Islam, their preachers had preached to me a lot of times but you know when you have wisdom, you relate with people in a way that would not lead to a quarrel,” he told International Christian Concern.
“When they came to preach, I paid attention to everything they said and when they asked me questions about things that I knew would cause problems if I had responded, I always told them I didn’t know so that I wouldn’t say things that would offend them.”