A retired pastor from the COCIN (Church of Christ in Nations) denomination was shot dead in his home in Borno State yesterday as he and his family were preparing to attend a Sunday church service. His death came as a police inspector and a politician were gunned down in attacks in Bauchi and Kano States respectively.
According to local church sources, the Reverend Elisha Kabura was talking to his son when two gunmen posing as visitors entered his home in Maiduguri, the state capital, and fired several shots at him before fleeing the area undetected. According to the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian, Rev Kabura had received a death threat from Boko Haram earlier this year, but refused to flee the area. In September, Pastor Ali Samuri of the Good News Church, who received a similar threat, was shot dead by gunmen who had followed to his house in the Mafoni area of Maiduguri.
"This is what is happening," a local leader informed Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). "Boko Haram is now undertaking selective killings of Christians in their homes. They kill today; there's a lull, then they kill again. It is ongoing. Many people are frightened – they don't know who will be next. We just pray that somehow justice will be worked out and effective measures will be taken by the government. The security services are trying their best but cannot contain the whole thing. We are losing confidence."
On the same day, Babangida Danbabo, a police inspector attached to Government House in Bauchi State, was shot dead along Nasarawa Road in Bauchi Metropolis as he returned home from early evening prayers at a local mosque.
A day earlier in Kano State, Ibrahim Abba Garko, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representative for Garko Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, died after gunmen on a motorcycle shot him in the head, chest, and shoulder as he met with friends in the Ungwa Uku General Area shortly after observing early evening prayer. His colleagues are also reported to have sustained injuries, and are receiving treatment at undisclosed hospital. The Kano House of Assembly has declared a seven-day mourning period in his honour.
CSW chief executive Mervyn Thomas said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Rev. Kabura, Mr. Danbabo and Mr. Garko at this time. It is tragic that the lives of people who worked for the betterment of their respective communities can be cut short by those who are bent on worsening plight of the country. Boko Haram continually seeks to justify murder as a sacred duty, which is abhorrent since every religious tradition respects the life and dignity of humankind. CSW continues to call on the government of Borno State in particular to institute security guarantees that adequately protect all of its citizens. We also call on the federal government to combine an effective judicial response to the military, including the timely prosecution of suspected members, funders and backers of this terrorist group to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of social or political standing, in order to ensure real progress in solving the problem posed by the Boko Haram militia."
For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, email kiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.