– Locals say there was a disagreement over land ownership between the pastor and a Muslim farm owner
– The people around the minister were said to have been pursued before the incident
– The reverend is survived by one wife and seven children
Suspected Fulani herdsmen have reportedly hacked a pastor to death in Obi town, Nasarawa state, northern Nigeria.
According to World Watch Monitor, an online news site, the minister, Reverend Joseph Kurah, who is the shepherd in charge at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECA), was killed on Thursday, June 30.
Reports say three other people followed him to his farm at about 7pm to cut down trees for roofing wood on the fateful day, but two men suddenly appeared behind them.
The late ECWA minister who was hacked to death by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The clergyman was said to have been quickly surrounded after others had been chased away without harm. It was later when the people returned that they saw the reverend’s corpse at the scene, with sources informing that the attackers spoke and were dressed as Fulani herdsmen with their faces open.
According to some members of the pastor’s church, there had been an argument with a Muslim farmer over ownership of the farm and fingers are now being pointed in the direction of the said farmer.
“They attacked him on his farm, cut off his arms and legs; then they chopped his head with a machete. I received a call on Thursday evening that my uncle, a pastor with ECWA was killed by Fulani herdsmen,” a unnamed man who claimed to be the nephew of the deceased, stated.
He also added: “All I want is justice to be done. Nasarawa State and the Federal Government must find the killers of my uncle. Whoever is close to Governor Al-Makura of Nasarawa State should please inform him that we demand the perpetrators should be brought to book.
“We have become preys that are hunted by marauding beasts in our land. I will keep shouting till justice is done. For how long will we suffer? He has left a very young family; three of his children are currently in the university. No one is saying anything about the clandestine killings by Fulani herdsmen happening almost every day.”
The latest incident has since sent cold shivers down the spine of the residents and locals, especially Christians, they are now afraid of going to their farms.
The late Reverend Kukah is survived by a wife and seven children, while he was reportedly committed to earth on July 5 by ECWA ministers.
Recently, 22 people were confirmed dead while six people were reportedly injured following the attack of the armed herdsmen on a community in Plateau state.
The killings took place on the night of Sunday, June 26, at Hwak-Kwata village in Jos South Local Government Area and Hoss in Riyom Local Government Area of the state.
Residents were seen wailing over the killing of their siblings. Others went in search of their missing relatives.
The Chairman of Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Mr Pwakim Choji, said that “the attackers came late in the night and initially killed 14 people and left eight others critically injured. He said that two of the injured later died, bringing the death toll to 16.”
But some residents claimed that they had found 22 bodies at the scenes of the attacks. Choji said: “Our people said that the attackers who are Fulani, were accompanied by men dressed in military uniforms, which is really a disturbing issue.
“We don’t know why they came to attack us. As I speak to you, about a hundred of our people are missing, so we are short of words.”
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