MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Muslim extremists from the Boko Haram sect shot and killed a Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) pastor and his church secretary June 7 in Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state.
Pastor David Usman, 45, and church secretary Hamman Andrew are the latest casualties in an upsurge of Islamic militancy that has engulfed northern Nigeria this year. Titus Dama Pona, pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All in Maiduguri, said Usman was shot and killed by members of the Boko Haram near an area of Maiduguri called the Railway Quarters, where the slain pastor’s church is located.
Pona said Christians in Maiduguri have become full of dread over the violence of Boko Haram, which seeks to impose Shariah (Islamic law) on northern Nigeria. “Christians have become the targets of these Muslim militants. We no longer feel free moving around the city, and most churches no longer carry out worship services for fear of becoming targets of these unprovoked attacks,” Pona said.
Pastor Logan Gongchi of COCIN’s Kerang congregation in Jos, Plateau state, said that area Christians were shocked at the news. “We knew [Usman] to be very gentle, an introvert who was always silent in the class and only spoke while answering questions from our teachers,” Gongchi said.
“He had a simple lifestyle and was easygoing with other students. He was very accommodating and ready at all times to withstand life’s pressures — this is in addition to being very jovial.”
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