Nigeria: Pastor and Christian Student Murdered Amid Surge of Violence in Taraba State

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Amid a wave of violence against Christians in north-eastern Nigeria’s Taraba state, suspected Islamic extremists murdered a pastor and a female Christian student in separate attacks last week, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.

Tens of thousands of Christians have been slaughtered by Islamic extremists since jihadism took hold in northern Nigeria in 2009: more Christians have been killed on account of their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy group reported this year.

Pastor Clement Anthony and student Titi Edward were murdered by gunmen who broke into their homes during the night of December 6, ICC reports. Pastor Clement was killed at his home in the Mayo Dasa area of Jalingo, Taraba’s state capital. Ms Edward was murdered at her home in the Jerbanbur area of the state.

Taraba state has seen the killings of 100 Christians since January 2024, ICC reports. “The latest attacks reflect a broader trend of violence against Christians in Taraba and surrounding states,” ICC said in its report.

In a 2024 website statement about the situation facing Christians in Nigeria, Open Doors reports: “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.”

More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year, than everywhere else in the world combined. The attacks are often brutal in nature and can involve destruction of properties, abductions for ransom, sexual violence and death. Believers are stripped of their livelihoods and driven from their homes, leaving a trail of grief and trauma.”

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