Reblogged from Vine of Life:

The testimony you are about to read comes from Yobe State in Northern Nigeria. It is one brothers’ story about the Christian persecution and stress they continue to be burdened with, even today.

Due to security risks and safety purposes, his identity has been withheld.

I am from Nangir LGA of Yobe State and reside in Potiskum. I would like to give you some background and tell what is happening in Yobe. In the year of 1997, Muslim jihadists killed my father. Just before his demise, my father travelled to a theological school in Kaduna. When he came back to Yobe, he went to church for Holy Communion.

After some time I went to find my father. As I approached, I saw smoke coming from our church. Muslims were burning our church! For about 3 hours they carried out attacks on the churches and Christians. While carrying out the attacks, they killed my father. His grave is in an ECWA church in Potiskum.

After losing my father, I picked up the challenge to care for myself and my family. I sponsored myself to school and grew up with my mum.

After Goodluck Jonathan won the 2011 elections, Buhari supporters launched attacks on Christians and churches. They killed many of us. It has been estimated that Christians in Yobe State numbers about 10,000. The whole population of Yobe state is about 2.5 million.

When the elections were over, they attacked on a Friday. Many lives and properties of Christians were lost as a result of the post-election violence.

Last year there was a time when we were on our way from Damaturu to Potiskum. Boko Haram militants wore soldier uniforms and went to a roundabout and started attacking people. They targeted and killed policemen. They killed a migration officer in front of people.

‘It was God who saved us.’

There was also a period in which we were always hearing gunshots. Hearing gunfire became normal to us. One night we heard rumors that Boko Haram members would attack us. Later that evening, the militants moved from house to house with aim of ransacking and searching for Christians to kill. The Boko Haram members entered houses of Christians and asked them if they would convert to Islam, or remain being a Christian. They mercilessly killed Christians who refused to become Muslims.

This testimony is a true reflection of the persecution Christians face in Northern Nigeria. We need to stand for our brethren in Nigeria and ask God to remember them in our prayers!

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Posted by Theodore Shoebat