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Boko Haram: How 3 pastors were
beheaded eyewitness
From TIMOTHY OLA, Maiduguri
Thursday, August 6, 2009
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•Photo:
The Sun Publishing |
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One of the victims of last week’s attack by the Yusufiya
sect in Borno State has given a shocking account of how the Islamic
extremists killed three pastors who were captured along with other
victims on the second day of the insurgence. The victim was among
those held hostage in Yusuf’s enclave.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Sun in Maiduguri,
the eye witness who preferred anonymity disclosed that the three
pastors were beheaded on the instruction of the sect leader, Mohammed
Yusuf shortly after bringing them out of his inner chamber.
“The pastors alongside one Ibo man were asked to change their
faith to Islam like they did to other people taken as hostages.
I think there was an argument by one of the pastors which gave the
others some level of confidence to also resist accepting Islam.
“The Yusufiya men who were armed on that Tuesday afternoon
were not comfortable with the pastors and they took one of them
to the sect leader in his inner chamber. They came out later to
the courtyard within the compound and cut their heads one after
the other and thereafter, shouted allah akbar in wild celebration
accompanied with several gun shots,” the eye witness disclosed.
He said the hostages numbering about 50 within the area of the execution
of the pastors and another fair complexioned man which he could
not identify, were gripped with fear as non could foretell the outcome
of their stay at the enclave of the fundamentalists. He was however
lucky to escape as he was freed in the night with others with a
warning not to mix with kafrici (infidels).
Corroborating the account of the killing, a Senior pastor with Good
News Church, Wulari Maiduguri Rev. Baba Gata Ibrahim told Daily
Sun in an interview that a pastor in his church, Pastor
George Orjih was beheaded on the instruction of the Boko Haram leader
because the clergy man refused to accept Islam.
“An eye witness who was also captured by the Islamic militants
gave us details of how the pastor was killed. He told us they were
persuading him to accept Islam and he said over his dead body. He
was even said to have preached Christ to Mohammed Yusuf and that
reportedly angered the sect leader who then as he ordered that the
pastor and others be killed immediately,” he disclosed.
The late Pastor George Orjih was said to have arrived Maiduguri
last week from Jos where he was doing his Masters programme in Theology.
Described as a fearless, hardworking, and intellectually sound,
his care for the welfare and well being of his family allegedly
contributed to his capture and eventual death.
“He was mindful of his family and their welfare. He was really
out of the house but thought to go back again. That was how he was
captured by the Boko Haram before he was killed. It was the very
week, in fact the following day he returned from school where he
was doing his Masters in Theology that he was arrested,” the
senior pastor added.
He urged the government to provide adequate security for Christian
in the state.
Also delivering a sermon during the funeral rites for late Rev.
Sabo Yakubu, slain COCIN Church pastor, the speaker, Rev Bulus Azi
urged Christians to emulate the pastors who were killed because
of their refusal to betray their faith. Quoting from the bible in
Revelation 7: 9-15, the regional chairman of the church told Christians
to prepare to die anytime as their calling demand.
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