A pastor freed by Islamist kidnappers in Plateau State, Nigeria has told how another cleric was murdered by the gang as he tried to escape.
Pastor Gabriel Joseph Dipak said that the killers joked and boasted together after they slaughtered Pastor Hills Emmanuel “like a goat”.
The two men only met and began talking as they travelled in a minibus from the state capital, Jos, to Bokkos on 28 August.
The vehicle was ambushed at a roadblock by four Fulani men, who were armed with guns and machetes and shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“God is the greatest”) – a traditional Islamic declaration of faith. They forced all the passengers out and began robbing them.
Pastor Dipak said, “When they realised that Pastor Hills and I were men of God, they singled us out and told the other passengers to get back into the vehicle. They then ordered the driver to go.
“They told us they were Fulani people and that we had been kidnapped,” he continued. “While we were marching towards the surrounding hills, Pastor Emmanuel tried to escape, but they pursued him.
“When he was caught, they began stabbing him. They then proceeded to slaughter him like you would slaughter a goat. They even boasted and joked about how Emmanuel struggled before he died.”
Pastor Emmanuel leaves a widow and five children. His wife was with him on the minibus and told how she pleaded with the kidnappers to let him go as they dragged him into the bush.
How you can pray
Give thanks for the release of Pastor Dipak and ask that he will be physically, emotionally and spiritually healed from the trauma of his ordeal. Continue to pray for comfort for Pastor Emmanuel’s wife and children. Pray that the perpetrators will repent of their actions and turn away from evil.
