Nigerian Islamists Force 13-year Old Girl To Watch Pastor Hacked to Death

Abuja National Mosque - Abuja, Nigeria

Photographs showing the corpse of one murdered pastor from the Church of Christ in Nigeria, Rev Sabo Yakubu, indicate that his heart may have been ripped out.

The captured Christians were all asked to renounce their faith or face continued imprisonment, while Christian men were given the choice of renouncing their faith or dying.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide sources in Nigeria said a 13-year old Christian girl has described how she was forced to watch her pastor’s murder, and the four-day ordeal as a prisoner in a compound besieged by an Islamic group.

The incident happened during the recent waves of attack on three provinces in Northern part of Nigeria by Boko Haram, the Islamic militant group, which translates to “western education is sin,” in which more than 600 people were killed including dozens of Christians; more than 13 Churches were destroyed.

On 26 July, Mary (name changed) was in church with her pastor, his brother and an older Christian woman when a group of fifty militants broke in. She and her pastor hid as the group killed the pastor’s brother and dragged the older woman out of the room. On discovering their hiding place, the militants cut off her pastor’s hand to stop him holding on to her, then hacked him to death with machetes before setting him on fire.

The girl and the woman were dragged to Boko Haram's compound in Maiduguri's Railway district, and were placed in a room with around 100 other Christian women and girls. They were all asked to renounce their faith or face continued imprisonment, while Christian men were given the choice of renouncing their faith or dying.

Mary vividly describes how she was forced to wash the blood stained clothing of Boko Haram fighters. She was in the camp for four days, but managed to escape with a few others when military forces intensified their attack on the compound.

Mary's pastor was one of three Christian ministers targeted and killed by Boko Haram during last week's violence. Photographs showing the corpse of one murdered pastor from the Church of Christ in Nigeria, Rev Sabo Yakubu, indicate that his heart may have been ripped out.

Stuart Windsor, CSW’s National Director said: “CSW is deeply saddened by the appalling nature of the crimes committed by this sect against innocent civilians. Local Christians have also expressed disappointment that some western media have disregarded the targeted nature of attacks on their community, and the brutal murders of Christian pastors. Unless this aspect of the violence is recognised by all and dealt with effectively, people in Northern Nigeria will continue to suffer because of their religious beliefs”.

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, the general secretary of World Council of Churches has also condemned Tuesday the attacks which he said is "rooted in politics rather than religion" and has urged Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua to "ensure the safety of all citizens" and to see that those responsible for the recent bloody violence be brought to justice.

Boko Haram is reportedly attacking Nigerian government establishment on the last Week of July because it felt the government has become too secular and it wants to cleanse Nigeria of western influences. The extremist group also wants to impose Sharia law throughout the country.

The Islamic group was allegedly also behind the violence in Bauchi back in February, during which at least eleven people died, over 1,500 Christians were displaced, and 14 churches, and numerous homes were destroyed.

The latest violence is the deadliest since last November, when more than 300 people died in the central city of Jos during sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians.

Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is about evenly split between Muslim in the north and Christians in the south with minorities of both religions living where the other faith is dominant. Since democracy was restored in 1999, there have been at least 15,000 deaths due to religious, communal or political violence, according to BBC.

Christian Post