Christian Leader Killed by Militants Linked to Boko Haram
Islamist terrorists in Nigeria are thought to have killed a prominent Christian leader in the northern reaches of the country after the country's president recently declared a state of emergency.
"Suspected Islamic militants have killed a Christian leader in north-eastern Nigeria shortly after the president declared a state of emergency in the region to tackle insurgents and terrorists' threatening Africa's most populous nation," BosNewsLife reported.
Two suspected members of the Islamic militant group Boko Haram shot Faye Pama Mysa, a Pentecostal pastor and secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state of Borno while he was in his home on Wednesday.
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"The Borno CAN secretary has been killed. We've got the report and the national president received it with heavy heart. It is very sad," CAN spokesperson Kenny Asaka told BNL during an interview.
Mysa, 47, was killed shortly after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
The president called the emergency state to address "systematic effort by insurgents and terrorists to destabilize the Nigerian state and test our collective resolve," referring to the recent intense surge of violence in northern and central Nigeria.
BNL noted that "Borno State governor Kassim Shettima reportedly told senators and the military last week that Boko Haram was on the verge of seizing control of the state."
President Jonathan said he would increase troops in the three states, but did not remove state politicians from their post.
"Nigeria is currently facing an unprecedented threat to national unity," Christian Solidarity Worldwide Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston told BLN.
"It is vital that the international community fully supports Nigeria as the nation contends with the security challenges engendered by international terrorism and a multifaceted, evolving insurgency," he added.
