Nigeria (International Christian Concern) Gunmen have killed Reverend Dauda Bature, the Pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Kaduna state, a month after his kidnapping.
According to Rev. Joseph John Hayab, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna State, Rev. Dauda was kidnapped on his farm on November 8th. The abductors demanded a ransom payment, which Rev. Dauda’s wife raised and delivered herself.
“When some money was raised, they asked the wife to bring the money which she took to them on November 18,” an unnamed source told the Nigerian Daily Post. “They collected the money and kidnapped her.”
“They kept her until December 6th and released her to go and look for more money.”
The gunmen decided to kill Reverend Dauda just days later.
Nigeria is the largest killing ground of Christians today, but few are aware of it. According to a report released in August by Intersociety, Islamic radicals in Nigeria have abducted over 18,500 people in the last 12 years. Christian leaders are often targeted in these attacks.
Despite all of these abductions and killings of Christian leaders, the Nigerian government and much of the international community continue to say that there is no religious basis for the violence taking place in Nigeria. The U.S. Department of State’s blindness in this area was clearly seen last month when they removed Nigeria from the list of “Countries of Particular Concern (CPC)”, which includes countries that have engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
Reverend Hayab met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to Nigeria on November 19th, a day after Nigeria was removed from the CPC list.
“When I met with Antony John Blinken… I expressed how disappointed the Christians in Nigeria were following the US’ deletion of Nigeria from the CPC list,” said Hayab after the meeting.
“What I said to Blinken was that, because Nigeria still has grave problems with religious persecution, his action was like that of a doctor discharging a patient from the hospital, even though the patient is critically ill. What that signifies is telling the patient to go home and die.”
Please be in prayer for the family of Reverend Dauda, and all of the clergy in Nigeria who are on the frontlines of spreading the Gospel. Please also pray for the world to listen and learn about the truth of what is happening in Nigeria.
This article originally appeared here.