Persecution!

As we, in the U.K., are caught up in the (worthless??) promises of the political parties that are vying for our votes on May 6th, these are the sort of things that are happening in other parts of the world. From Northern Nigeria comes this horrific report:

"Tensions remain high in Jos as an ongoing spate of 'secret murders' has followed the well-publicised massacre of Christians in and around the city last month.

Plateau State Police Commissioner Ikechukwu Aduba told the Associated Press (AP) news agency that police are retrieving corpses 'on a daily basis'. These murders occur, he believes, when Christians and Muslims stray into neighbourhoods beyond their own.

A suspected bomb blast in the Dadin Kuwa area of Jos on April 12 left three young Muslims severely injured – but most of the violence reported has been against Christians.

Two Christian miners were killed last week and three others went missing in an attack by ethnic Fulani Muslims near Rim village, 18 miles south of Jos. Two people were hospitalised with gunshot wounds on the same day when about 20 Fulani men raided the nearby village of Tahoss. Earlier this month, Ishaku Sunday was attacked with a machete while grazing his cattle in the Vom area of Jos – and his friend was killed.

The Nigerian army says that it managed to avert an assault on the mainly Christian village of Bisichi, south of Jos, engaging suspected attackers in a gun battle and killing two of them, after a distress call from villagers. But church and community leaders are becoming increasingly vocal about the perceived inaction of the military amid the continuing violence.

An effort to bring both Christians and Muslims together in prayer in Jos earlier this month ended in bloodshed when 'hoodlums' disrupted an interfaith ceremony and began rioting. Three people died and several others were injured at the event, according to AP.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Bauchi state, Islamist extremists are alleged to have abducted and killed Pentecostal pastor Ishaya Kadah and his wife Selina in Boto village, Tafawa Balewa district. Their burnt bodies were discovered in the bush on April 12, two days after they went missing, reports the Agence France Presse news agency.

The couple, members of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), had only returned to the area recently after their church was destroyed In January. Islamist extremists are alleged to have burnt down the building to target Christian refugees who had sought refuge in the COCIN compound after fleeing the violence in Jos.

(Sources: AFP, AP, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Compass Direct)"