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<\/source><\/picture>ABUJA,\u00a0Nigeria \u2014Two Christians were kidnapped last Friday in Kaduna state, Nigeria, two days after gunmen described as terrorists killed a Baptist pastor in another area of the state, sources said.<\/p>\n
Terrorists on Friday night invaded the predominantly Christian community of Wusasa, Zaria, and kidnapped the two Christians, brothers Yusha\u2019u Peter and Joshua Peter, staff members of St. Luke\u2019s Anglican Hospital in Wusasa, a community leader in the area said.<\/p>\n
Isiyaku Ibrahim said the brothers were abducted at about 9 p.m. by \u201cterrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is coming not long after the father of the two victims was also kidnapped and taken into captivity by the terrorists,\u201d Ibrahim told Morning Star News in a text message. \u201cThe terrorists have so often made our area their target of attacks and abductions of our people. In fact, recently two Christians in our community were killed in similar attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two brothers had fled to Zaria from Ikara in Kaduna state after their father was kidnapped there, according to local reports.<\/p>\n
The abductions come after the Rev. Jeremiah Mayau, 61-year-old pastor of Tawaliu Baptist Church in Ungwan Mission, Kujama in Chikun County, was shot to death on Aug. 23.<\/p>\n
\u201cRev. Jeremiah Mayau was attacked and shot to death by the terrorists while he was working on his farm,\u201d area resident Matthew Audu told Morning Star News in a text message. \u201cHe was killed at about 2 p.m. and was shot on the head.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rev. Joseph John Hayab, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, also described the killers as terrorists.<\/p>\n
\u201cTerrorists stormed a community in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna and shot dead one Rev. Jeremiah Mayau, a pastor of Tawaliu Baptist Church, Kujama,\u201d Hayab said in a press statement. \u201cThe incident occurred when the cleric was on his farm. It was barbaric.\u201d<\/p>\n
He called on security agencies to exercise greater vigilance to halt criminal activity in the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very painful that gunmen move freely in broad daylight to execute their evil act and get away with it in a civilized society like ours, where we have constituted authority that is expected to checkmate these criminal elements in the society,\u201d Hayab said. \u201cIt is also painful that when you raise an eyebrow, you are seen as a deviant who is just looking for trouble while those in authority have otherwise refused to do the right thing to ensure harmonious coexistence among the citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Area resident Audo said that on Aug. 9, terrorists killed a Christian woman, Gloria Isa, as she slept at her home in the Ungwan Rana area of Kujama.<\/p>\n
Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith in 2022, with 5,014, according to Open Doors\u2019 2023 World Watch List report. It also led the world in Christians abducted (4,726), sexually assaulted or harassed, forcibly married or physically or mentally abused, and it had the most homes and businesses attacked for faith-based reasons. As in the previous year, Nigeria had the second most church attacks and internally displaced people.<\/p>\n
In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year.<\/p>\n
\u201cMilitants from the Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery,\u201d the WWL report noted. \u201cThis year has also seen this violence spill over into the Christian-majority south of the nation. \u2026 Nigeria\u2019s government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians\u2019 rights are carried out with impunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020\u00a0report<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,\u201d the APPG report states.<\/p>\n Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria\u2019s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians\u2019 lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.<\/p>\n