Home Christian News Terrorists in Nigeria Kill, Kidnap – And Demand Ransom for Corpse

Terrorists in Nigeria Kill, Kidnap – And Demand Ransom for Corpse

Ransom Demand for Corpse

A Christian telecommunications worker who was abducted at Sabon Gaya on the Kaduna-Abuja Highway in October was killed by the kidnappers on Nov. 17 after they had received a ransom payment of 3 million naira (US$6,755) for his release, his brother said.

Kefas Ibrahim said his brother, Obadiah Ibrahim, was tortured to death, and that the kidnappers have since demanded a ransom for the return of his corpse.

“My brother, a father of two children, was kidnapped in early October by bandits while he was out in the field checking on installations of the company he was working for,” Ibrahim said. “The bandits contacted us and demanded that we pay a ransom of the amount of 200 million naira (US$450,418), but after a long process of negotiations, they reduced the ransom to 10 million naira (US$22,520). We were able to raise 3 million naira, but unfortunately after collecting the money from us, they still killed my brother on Nov. 17.”

Ibrahim said the kidnappers are now demanding 10 million naira (US$22,520) for the release of the corpse.

RELATED: Two Nigeria Churches Attacked; Worshipers Killed, Abducted

“The bandits said that if we pay them 10 million naira, they’ll release my brother’s corpse to us,” he said. “This is a very sad and depressing situation for us as my brother was tortured to death. As Christians, we know that they can only kill the body, but not the soul, as my brother is already in fellowship with Jesus Christ in heaven. We have forgiven them and pray that they’re convicted by the Holy Spirit so that they can repent and turn away from evil.”

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report.

“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP [Islamic State West Africa Province] and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.

Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.

In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.

This article originally appeared here.