By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife
ABUJA, NIGERIA (BosNewsLife)– Details have emerged of Islamic Fulani militants killing a Nigerian pastor after he was already wounded in the same attack, Christian rights investigators confirmed.
Pastor Alubara Audu was shot multiple times on September 6 when he attempted to warn his Adara Christian community, in Kaduna State, of the impending raid by militants, according to Christian aid workers.
He” heard voices close to his home at 2 a.m. and attempted to raise the alarm for the residents of Buda village, Kajuru local government area. As they fled, the pastor was shot and fell to the ground,” explained Christian charity Barnabas Fund.
Despite being wounded, the pastor continued to shout out to the other villagers to flee, until the gunmen shot him multiple times at close range, according to Christians familiar with the situation.
“He too tried to run, but because of the wound, he could not run far,” said the pastor’s brother Umar in published remarks. “They were soon on him and shot him several times,” Umar added.
WIFE AND CHILDREN
Pastor Audu, 45, leaves behind his wife Amina, two sons, and two daughters.
Two other villagers killed in the attack were father-of-four Adamu Tata, 40, and Ishaku Peter, 37, who leaves five children, Barnabas Fund said.
Christians Sani Peter, 25, and Esther Sani Peter, 20, were reportedly among those abducted by the militants. Five other hostages from neighboring Kemara Rimi, in Buda Ward area are identified as Aminu, 35, Danfulani Makaranta, 37, Namiji Gwamna, 36, Ali Musa, 36, and Grace Mathew, 16.
“Christians from the Adara tribe, one of the largest ethnic groups in Kaduna state, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, have suffered kidnapping, robbery and murderous attacks mainly by the Muslim-majority Hausa-Fulani in recent years” Barnabas Fund said.
At least 12,480 members of the Adara, who are about two-thirds Christian and about seven percent Muslim, have been forced to flee their homes because of the violence, Christians explained.
BARBARIC ATTACKS
Awemi Dio Maisamari, national president of the Adara Development Association, urged authorities to halt the reported attacks on Christian villages in the area.
“These callous and barbaric attacks sometimes abate but never really stop in Adara community,” he warned in a statement.
Fighters attacking Christians in the area are especially from the 20 million-strong Fulani – or Fula or Fulbe, according to Christian rights activists.
It is a mainly Muslim ethnic group in several African countries, including Nigeria, Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon, Mali and Egypt.
The Fulani are in most cases herdsmen and constitute the world’s largest nomadic group. They speak Fula language as well as Hausa, English, French and Arabic.
