Baptist Pastor Among Christians Killed In Nigeria

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ABUJA (Worthy News) – Baptist Christians in northern Nigeria are mourning the death of their pastor who was among two killed during a worship service, while several Christians were murdered or abducted elsewhere, Worthy News learned Saturday.

Christians said Muslim Fulani militants “stormed a late-night Christian worship service” in the village of Yaribori in Katsina state’s Kafur County, “killing Emmanuel Na’allah, pastor of Bege Baptist Church, and Mallam Samaila Gidan Taro”, a convert to Christianity.

They were shot dead at the altar during a fellowship service on Monday night, July 7, witnesses said. A yet-unidentified woman was abducted by the assailants, who rode into the village on motorcycles, reportedly shouting Islamic slogans, Christians said.

“The attack is the latest in a string of targeted assaults against Christian clergy and congregations across Nigeria,” added advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC).

It noted that at least 63 Christian pastors and church leaders have been killed, and 89 others abducted throughout Nigeria since January 2023.

Villagers of Yaribori, a farming community roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Katsina city, said the attackers — numbering between 15 and 20 — targeted the church alone and spared nearby Muslim homes and mosques.

“They came in shouting, ‘Allahu Akbar,’ (‘Allah is greatest’) and ‘Death to infidels,’” added Emmanuel Dauda, a witness in published remarks. “The pastor told us to stay calm and hide, but they reached him first.”

STANDING AT PULPIT

Another eyewitness explained, “Reverend Na’allah stood before the pulpit and tried to reason with them. They shot him without hesitation.”

Reverend Na’allah was known for advocating peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in the region, according to Christians familiar with the situation.

Residents recalled that he had previously received “threats” from suspected extremists but continued his ministry without security protection.

“He worked with everyone, even Muslim youth,” said Musa Likita, a local farmer. “He never stopped preaching peace.”

The second victim, Mallam Samaila Gidan Taro, was among the earliest Christian converts in the village. Although he retained his Muslim name, locals remembered him as an active church member who “dedicated himself to reconciliation efforts” in Yaribori.

While Yaribori is majority-Muslim, roughly 40 percent of its residents identify as Christian, according to Christian estimates.

Christians said that in addition to the targeted Baptist church, the village hosts numerous other Christian congregations, including ECWA, COCIN, HEKAN, Methodist, and Catholic churches.

ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE

Katsina state, the home state of Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari, has experienced increased anti-Christian violence during the past three years, according to researchers.

In 2022, Catholic priests were reportedly kidnapped in Kafur. In 2023, 25 worshippers were abducted during a service in Kankara, Christians said. Last year, mobs looted churches in Daura and Katsina city.

“Security forces have yet to issue a statement on the Yaribori attack. No arrests were made at the time of this report. Local church leaders are praying for the return of those abducted,” ICC added in a statement.

The church attack came on the day that Fulani herdsmen reportedly attacked two villages in Kaduna state, killing two Christians and wounding three others, after “terrorizing villagers” in another area in June.

In Jema’a County, herdsmen raided Dogon Fili and Attang villages after 9 p.m., said area resident Sandra Musa.

“One of the Christians killed in Dogon Fili village is Iliya John, 38 – he was shot and killed by the Fulani bandits,” Musa told the Christian Daily International-Morning Star News service.

“Two other Christians, James Ishaya, 39, and Elisha Mallam, 38, from neighboring Antang village, were also shot and wounded by the bandits. Some commuters who were on transit, unfortunately, were also attacked by these herdsmen, who kidnapped some of them at the scene of the incident.”

COMMUNITY LEADER ABDUCTED

In a previous attack in Kajuru County on June 28, a community leader of predominantly Christian Bauda village was kidnapped, an area resident said.

“Bauda community leader Obadiah Iguda, 48, was kidnapped by armed men we believe to be Fulani herdsmen,” said Peter Stephen. “He was kidnapped on 28 June at about 1 a.m. in his house as he was sleeping.”

Stephen Maikori, a community leader and overseer of Kufana District in Kajuru County, confirmed that the abduction took place around 1 a.m. local time on June 28.

“This senseless act of violence has further deepened the atmosphere of insecurity and fear among the Christian residents of Bauda and its surrounding communities,” Maikori added. “The Kufana District Council appeals for immediate and sustained security action by the Nigerian government to protect Christians and bring to an end further attacks in our communities.”

In Kajuru County’s predominantly Christian Unguwar Sarki village, herdsmen chased down and executed a community leader in early June, said Alhaji Ishaya Onnusim, chairman of the Ugom Progressive Union.

“At approximately noon, Fulani terrorists invaded our community in broad daylight,” Onnusim said in a press statement. “The attack was carefully planned and viciously executed. The terrorists arrived in large numbers, this time riding on motorbikes – each motorbike carrying a rider and a passenger – clearly a tactical move to ensure mobility, speed, and efficient coordination of their assault.”

Upon arrival, without warning or provocation, they began shooting at anyone they saw, he said. Panicked men, women, and children ran in different directions at the sound of gunfire.

‘TERRORIST CHASING’ CHRISTIAN

“One of our beloved community members, Mr. Stephen Alhassan, tragically lost his life during the attack,” Onnusim stressed. “Mr. Stephen began to run, but the terrorists spotted him and chased after him. They pursued him relentlessly on their motorbike, shooting at him as he fled.”

Realizing he was gaining distance and might escape, they fired a shot that struck him in the leg, he said.

“He fell to the ground, defenseless. The terrorists then approached him, placed a gun to his forehead, and brutally executed him by blowing his head to pieces,” Onnusim said. “Mr. Stephen Alhassan was approximately 57 years old. He was a father, a farmer, and a valued community member. This is just one tragic example of the trauma we face almost weekly.”

Such attacks have become an almost routine occurrence, leaving villagers in a constant state of fear, trauma, and uncertainty, he added.

“Because of this persistent threat, our people have had no choice but to live in a state of alertness,” Onnusim said. “It is farming season, and many of our villagers, in a bid to survive, had gone to their farms located deep in the bushes. Farming is their only source of livelihood, and yet it has become a dangerous task – one that could cost them their lives.”

He added that the people of the Ugom community live in unbearable fear and hardship.

“We can no longer sleep in our homes peacefully,” he said. “We cannot go to the markets to trade or buy food. We cannot go to our farms, which are our only means of survival. Our children cannot go to school. Our elderly are helpless. Our women and girls are vulnerable.”

RISKING LIVES DAILY

Their lives are at risk every day, he said.

“The situation in our community is terrible and horrifying,” Onnusim said. “We live in conditions that no human being should endure. Despite repeated reports, cries for help, and appeals to authorities, our pain continues to go unheard.”

He appealed to the Nigerian government, Kaduna state officials, security agencies, human rights organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, religious leaders, and international bodies to come to their aid before more lives are lost.

“We urgently need security, humanitarian support, and protection,” he said. “Our community is being destroyed, our people are being hunted, and our future is being stolen. Let the world not wait until Christians in Ugom are wiped off the map before something is done. This is a call for urgent intervention.”

His appeal followed previously reported mass killings in Plateau state in central Nigeria, where Fulani herdsmen killed 20 Christians in one area of the state last month, while mainly Christian villages in another county in the state suffered “the slaughter of 80 of its residents since May,” sources said.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages, but numerous Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology.

Inspired by, and sometimes cooperating with, extremist groups, militant Fulani seek to grab land from often Christian farmers and to impose Sharia (Islamic law) in the area.

Nigeria is one of the most violent countries toward Christians, with thousands killed annually. Advocacy group Open Doors ranks Nigeria 7th on its annual World Watch List of 50 nations where it says Christians suffer most for their faith in Christ.

Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.