Four men confessed to killing a pastor because he was preaching the gospel, according to a statement from police.
The gang “confessed to have been responsible for the kidnapping Pastor Chukwu Ekere of same Ohigha community and killed him for the simple reason that the man of God disturbed them with his preaching of repentance and also for urging them to shun their nefarious activities and accept God,” Nigeria’s PM News reported.
Christian persecution around the world reached record-highs in recent years, with 2015 labeled as the “most violent” ever, with violence at a “level akin to ethnic cleansing,” CNN reports.
Despite the rising anti-Christian attacks, Muslims are finding Christ in record numbers, especially in Africa.
READ: Despite Death Threats, Muslims Turning to Christ in Droves
“In several areas in Northern Nigeria, the Christian presence has become virtually extinct or substantially diminished while in other areas church congregations have grown due to an influx of Christians fleeing violence and a number of Muslims converting to Christianity,” according to a new report released by Open Doors.
“The headlines focus on the Middle East, but there were more recorded killings of Christians due to their faith in northern Nigeria in 2015 than in the rest of the world put together; 4,028 out of a worldwide total of 7,100 reported deaths,” according to The Guardian.
Much of the blame resides with the radical Islamic group Boko Haram.
“This report shows that extent and impact of the persistent violence on the church in northern Nigeria is much more serious than previously expected. Once Boko Haram is defeated, the problem will not be solved,” an Open Doors partner in West Africa told the organization.
“Christians living under Sharia law are facing discrimination and marginalization and have limited to no access to federal rights. We hope that this report will prompt the Nigerian government and international community to take the real suffering of persecuted Christians seriously and act on their behalf. Next to that, I hope that Nigerian Christians will become more involved with their brothers and sisters; that they will stand in the gap for them,” the partner said.
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