According to a Morning Star News article published by Crossswalk.com, authorities in Northern Nigeria point to suspected Muslim extremists as the people behind the brutal death of an elderly Christian man.
The incident reportedly happened on Aug. 2, 11 p.m., at the victim's home in Manchok village.
Details of the Attack
The report identified the victim as Daniel Yatai, 86.
The man's son, Philip Daniel Yatai, told investigators that the suspects barged into his father's home and shot him as he lay sleeping.
The report revealed that the shooters had attacked several homes in Manchok village before barging into the Yatais' home.
Christiana, the victim's daughter, told authorities that the suspects demanded they open the door to let the latter in, but they refused.
The attackers reportedly forced themselves inside, as a suspect shot the elderly Yatai through one of the windows.
The ones who managed to get inside the house made their way into the victim's room, where they shot him anew.
Aside from killing the man, the suspects abducted a young woman who was with the elderly Yatai inside their home.
The attackers reportedly abducted 21-year-old Brenda Friday, Philip Daniel's niece.
He said the suspects called them on Aug. 3 and demanded 15 million naira ransom ($35,845) for the young woman's release.
The younger Yatai refused to confirm if they paid the ransom money but disclosed that the suspects had released his niece.
The same news report identified another kidnapping victim, Amos Magbon, whom the attackers eventually released on Aug. 5.
The report said that Magbon is the Federal School of Statistics rector.
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Other Armed Attacks on Christians
According to the same news article, armed suspects ambushed and shot three Christians last July in Zangang village close to Manchok.
The report bared that the attackers managed to kill two of the three shooting victims. The latter reportedly worked for the Kaura Local Government Council's Health Department.
Isaac Gandu, a Zangang resident, informed Morning Star News that the victims had just finished serving Christians in rural areas close to the ambush site.
Gandu revealed that both fatalities were male, who instantly died at the scene. The third victim who survived the attack was a female.
Gandu said that the survivor is receiving medical care at a local healthcare facility.
Abduction, Killing of Christian Believers
Aside from the deadly armed attacks on Christians in northern Nigerian villages, Islamic militants also carried out a large-scale abduction of Christian women.
On June 21, Islamic militants reportedly kidnapped at least 21 Christian women in the village of Kasan Kogi.
One of the abductees was the wife of Chapel of Good News Church pastor Rev. Exekiel Garba.
Pastor Garba said the suspects threatened to marry off the Christian women if they did not pay the 100 million naira ransom ($230,000).
The suspects allegedly told Garba that they would use the women to give birth to kids who would eventually come and kill them.
The pastor added that around 300 armed attackers stormed into their village and killed two male Christians, including another pastor, Rev. Ezra Shamaki.
Garba said that the assailants also kidnapped Pastor Shamaki's wife along with his wife, 19 other females, and six males.
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