Pastor’s Murder Sparks Sobering Response to Horrific Christian Persecution
By Billy Hallowell/CBN News
Yet another pastor has been slaughtered in Nigeria, underscoring the crumbling state of affairs for Christians in the African nation.
The Rev. Manasseh Ibrahim was reportedly killed last week as he traveled to provide ministry to church members, according to sources who spoke to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
Ibrahim was reportedly slaughtered by “bandits” in the Kaduna state, though many other believers have faced violence at the hands of Islamic extremists in recent years.
“Rev. Manasseh Ibrahim, a pastor with ECWA [Evangelical Church Winning All] Church, Gure, was on his way for a pastoral church ministration in the Kurebe area of Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna state when he was ambushed and killed by the bandits,” the Rev. Yahaya Kinge, a local faith leader with the Christian Association of Nigeria, said in a statement.
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
Kinge lamented the intense violence and persecution Christians face in the region, noting believers “who are direct victims of banditry and insurgency in Kaduna state are fed up with the inability of Nigeria government to find a lasting solution to the incessant killings of innocent Christians.”
And he wasn’t done there. Kinge also said Christians have had enough of these murderous and dangerous actions and implored the government to help.
“The hard push of Christians to the wall through incessant attacks is enough,” he wrote. “And we can no longer bear this brunt.”
As CBN News has reported, the situation in Nigeria is dire. The list of anecdotal examples of violence against Christians is extensive. In November, Oluwakemi Moses, the wife of a Nigerian pastor, was murdered by terrorists as she traveled home with her two-month-old baby.
And the Rev. Charles Onomhoale Igechi, a Catholic priest who was vice principal of St. Michael College, Ikhueniro, was slaughtered last year while driving through Benin, Edo, in Nigeria.
These events aren’t new, though international attention on the matter is continuing to grow. Violence in Nigeria broke through the global news cycle in May 2022, when Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a 25-year-old Christian college student, was stoned to death by a Muslim mob.
The killing of Yakubu, a Shehu Shagari College of Education student in Sokoto, Nigeria, was purportedly filmed and shared on social media, horrifying the international community.
To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.
Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!