Abuja, NigeriaJanuary 11, 2024 (christian daily international–morning star news)
Islamic extremist rebels attacked two villages in northeastern Nigeria on January 1, killing 15 Christians, officials said.
Boko Haram members first attacked Galtamawa village in Chibok district of Borno state, killing 12 Christians and injuring two others, local residents said. The rebels then went to the nearby village of Chiha, where they killed three Christians and kidnapped another, residents said.
“Christians from Tsiha were killed in an ambush by terrorists as they were returning to their community from the village of Galtamawa after attending the funeral of those killed in the village hours earlier,” Mary Baade wrote in Christian Daily. He told International Morningstar News. text message.
Another resident, Jennifer Cefas, said a “young Christian girl” had been kidnapped in the attack on Chiha village.
“That aside, Boko Haram terrorists invaded stores in two communities and looted groceries and other valuables,” Cefas said in a text message. “Houses were also burnt down by terrorists.”
In a press statement, Borno State Police Command spokesperson Nahum Daso said the attack was carried out by Boko Haram, which has been fighting for statehood. sharia (Islamic Law) All over Nigeria.
“Insurgents with deadly weapons attacked the villages of Galtamawa and Tsiha,” Daso said. “A total of 15 people were killed and two injured.”
Northeastern Nigeria has been under attack by Boko Haram since 2009, including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok town in 2014. Military authorities announced in October 2022 that 98 of the abducted girls were still missing.
Colonel Obinna Ezuipuke, head of intelligence at the military high command in the northeast, said 57 of the girls escaped in 2014 and 107 were released in 2018. Three of the girls were recovered in 2019 and two in 2021, and nine died. It is said that 98 people who were rescued in 2022 remain prisoners of war.
Boko Haram, once led by Abubakar Shekau, aligned itself with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in 2015, and in August 2016, Islamic State leaders replaced Shekau with Abu Musab al-Barnawi. was appointed as an ISWAP leader.Shekau's faction split into separate groups, officially reverting to the name Boko Haram. Jama'atu Aris Sunnah Riddaawati Waljihad.
Shekau committed suicide by detonating a suicide vest during fighting between Boko Haram and ISWAP on May 19, 2021, according to ISWAP, Nigerian authorities, and the Wall Street Journal.
In 2015, the Global Terrorism Index ranked Boko Haram as the deadliest terrorist group in the world.
According to Open Doors' 2023 World Watch List (WWL) report, Nigeria led the world in the number of Christians killed for their faith in 2022 with 5,014. It also led the world in kidnappings of Christians (4,726 people), sexual assault and harassment, forced marriages, and physical and psychological abuse, and had the highest number of attacks on homes and businesses for religious reasons. As in previous years, Nigeria had the second highest number of church attacks and internally displaced persons.
On the 2023 World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to become a Christian, Nigeria has risen to a record 6th place, up from 7th place the previous year.
“Armed groups such as the Fulani, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are attacking Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping, and kidnapping for ransom and sexual slavery,” WWL reports. The book pointed out. “This year, the violence has also spread to the Christian-majority south of the country. Violations of Christian rights continue with impunity as the Nigerian government continues to deny that this is religious persecution. It’s been done.”
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Photo provided: Morningstar News (Mark Fisher, Creative Commons)
Originally published by Morningstar News. Used with permission.
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