Two Pastors, Mother of Eight Shot to Death in Plateau State, Nigeria

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Seven other Christians killed in Miango area.By Our Nigeria Correspondent
 Ruth Wujit, slain along with her pastor husband and another church leader in Miango, Nigeria. (Photo courtesy of ECWA)JOSNigeria, July 5, 2018 (Morning Star News) – Thousands of people attended the funeral yesterday of a pastor, his wife and another church leader, all killed by suspected Muslim Fulani herdsmen on June 27 in central Nigeria.

The three Christians were ambushed and shot to death as they returned to Miango, Plateau state, after visiting relatives in Baduru village, Kaduna state who had been attacked by Muslim Fulani herdsmen, the Rev. Ayuba Ahmadu, senior pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Miango, told Morning Star News.

The Rev. Micah Wujit, 46-year-old associate pastor of the ECWA congregation in Miango, and his wife Ruth Wujit, 35, leave behind eight children, Pastor Ahmadu said. Emmanuel Tingo, pastor of the church’s English-speaking congregation, leaves behind his wife and three children, he said.

Their corpses were found at about 11 a.m. June 28, he said. The two pastors were natives of Baduru village, Kaduna state.

Besides at least 218 people slain in predominantly Christian areas around Jos on June 23-25, seven other Christians were killed in villages around Miango in June, sources said. Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked Kwall, Kpachudu and Hukken villages, said area resident Patience Moses.

On June 19 in Kwall village, in the Bassa Local Government Area (LGA), the secretary of the ECWA church in Kwall, Danjuma Edo, and his family members were slain in their home by Fulani herdsmen, she said. Killed were Edo, 40; Mary Danjuma, 34; Sibi Baba, 21; and Ayo Danjuma, 18.

“They were killed at about 11:30 p.m. on June 19 as they were sleeping,” Moses said. “On June 17 in Kpachudu village, a man named Sarki, 20, a member of ECWA church there, was ambushed and slaughtered at about 9 p.m. And on June 16, in Hukken village, two other Christians were killed by the herdsmen, a woman and her son.”

Godiya Abass and her 11-year-old son, Friday Emmanuel, were killed as they worked on their farm at about 10 a.m., Moses said.

The attacks in the three villages preceded the slaughters in predominantly Christian villages in the Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Bokkos LGAs in Plateau state.

Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria’s population, while Muslims living primarily in the north and middle belt account for 45 percent.

Nigeria ranked 14th on Open Doors’ 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.