Pastor John Attah of Lafia, Nasarawa state said his church was attacked by a knife-wielding Muslim on Aug. 10 at about 9 p.m. during a prayer meeting.
“A Muslim man by the name Umar attacked us in our church hall at Threshing Floor Watchman Assembly, Akhan Street, Bukan Sidi area of Lafia,” Pastor Attah said. “The knife-wielding Muslim man tried stabbing two of our ministers, but God held his hand against his intention.”
Police are holding the suspect in custody in Lafia, he said.
“The Muslim made inflammatory statements by saying that he will surely return to destroy the church auditorium, and nothing will happen to him,” Pastor Attah said. “Please be in prayer with us so that God will prevail over the numerous attacks coming against His church.”
On Aug. 4 armed herdsmen killed an elder with the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC), Benjamin Ekom, in Washo village of Akun Development Area, said Rose Ekom, his sister.
“Our brother and his family were about to sleep after listening to the 9 p.m. network news when they heard noise from people trying to break into the house,” she told Morning Star News. “He quickly went to check out what was happening when armed Fulani herdsmen attacked him with machetes. They cut him and thought he was dead before they retreated.”
Ekom told her how he was attacked by Fulani herdsmen before he died at a Catholic hospital in Akwanga town, in Nasarawa state, she said.
Islamic terrorists from both ISWAP and Boko Haram routinely mount roadblocks on major highways in the northeast, stopping vehicles to take Christians into captivity.
They use some of the captured Christians for negotiations with the Nigerian government to get more funds for their arms and operations. In cases when such negotiations fail, the male Christian victims are often executed and the women are held as sex slaves.
Nigeria ranked 12th on Open Doors’ 2020 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution but second in the number of Christians killed for their faith, behind Pakistan.
