Islamic terrorists in Nigeria have issued a dire ultimatum, threatening the lives of a local pastor and his wife if their ransom demands are not met.
Reverend Paul Musa of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Borno state and his wife were abducted in May 2023.
A video released in late June shows a terrorist pointing a gun at Reverend Musa’s head as he pleads for their lives.
In the video, Reverend Musa urgently calls for help.
“One week ultimatum has been given by our captors for you who are ready to secure our release, to do that which is necessary to meet their demands,” he states.
He further implores, “If within one week nothing is done, me and my wife will be killed. My appeal is that you do whatever you can within the stipulated time to get us out of here or receive the news about our death.”
The exact release date of the video remains uncertain but is believed to be between June 21 and June 25.
The demanded ransom amount is not publicly confirmed but is estimated to be between $39,000 and $130,000.
Despite the church’s efforts to raise funds, the terrorists deemed the offered amount insufficient, Morning Star News reports.
Nigeria ranks as the sixth most dangerous country for Christians, as per Open Doors’ annual World Watch List.
Christians constitute 46 percent of Nigeria’s population, yet the nation is predominantly Muslim.
The report highlights the severe persecution faced by Christians, particularly in the Muslim-majority northern regions.
“Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Muslim-majority north, continue to live under immense pressure and to be terrorized with devastating impunity by Islamic militants and armed ‘bandits,'” the report states.
It further emphasizes that more Christians are killed in Nigeria each year than in the rest of the world combined.
These attacks are not only brutal but also involve property destruction, abductions for ransom, sexual violence, and murder.
Believers are often left destitute, driven from their homes, and haunted by profound grief and trauma.
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