Photo by Compass Direct: Henry Emmanuel Ogbaje
Nigeria (VCM/MNN) ― Voice of the Martyrs Canada reports the deaths of two young Christian men in Nigeria.
According to a Compass Direct report, the pair died at the hands of Muslims militants in Kaduna state.
The first murder took place Oct 12, when Henry Emmanuel Ogbaje was clubbed to death by a group of militants who caught him on his way home from church. Although he survived the initial beating, within a few hours he died from his injuries.
A day later, another young man called "Basil," connected with Our Lady of Apostles Catholic Church, was stabbed to death. Both murders took place as Muslims were celebrating the Eid-El-Fatr festival marking the end of Ramadan.
Local Christians believe these two murders are an effort to wipe out Christianity from northern Nigeria and to stop ministry growth.
Although the government is trying to initiate dialogue between the two faith groups, their efforts have been undermined by the wave of violent attacks on Christians.
Last month, Kano State flared with religious violence. Riots there left at least nine Christians dead, although the true numbers of victims may never be known. It was also reported that more than 50 people were injured, and more than 500 members of the minority Christian population were displaced.
These are the latest in a series of deadly religious clashes in Africa's most populous nation of 140 million, which is almost equally split between adherents of the two religions.
Pray for those who mourn the loss of these two faithful followers of Christ. Pray that the Lord will be exalted through this tragedy and that people in this area will continue to be drawn to Him. Pray that violence against Nigerian Christians will cease.
