<![CDATA[Frontline Fellowship

<![CDATA[Frontline Fellowship - Nigeria]]>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 06:35:32 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[Jihad Against Christians in Nigeria]]>Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/jihad-against-christians-in-nigeria

Black clad Muslim terrorists attacked Christians in the Northern Nigeria State of Kaduna on Saturday night, 23 February. Witnesses said that the gunmen spoke in Fulani. The majority of the Fulani tribe are Muslim. The assailants carried sophisticated weapons and shot up the Christian village on a 3-hour killing spree.

Without Warning
John Audi, of St. Patrick's Church said: "The raid came as a shock, as area Christians had been living without enmity toward anyone. We were all scattered, and some that were shot were crying. We all ran for cover where we believed we could avoid being hit by the bullets."

Failure of Security Forces
Bishop Danlami Bello, of the First African Church commented: "This village was attacked for three hours, yet no help came to our people here. These attacks have gone unhindered without security agencies coming to the scenes of the attacks to assist the Christian victims. There is no doubt that this attack, like many others on Christian communities in Northern Nigeria, were by Muslim leaders in Nigeria to Islamise the country by force; forcing Christians into submitting to Islam."

Victims of Jihad
Rev. Casmire Yabo, of the First African Church Mission in Aduwan, said that church members who hid in the bushes reported seeing 10 assailants leaving after the attack. Amongst the slain was an infant, Alexander Blessed and a young girl, Happiness Adamu. 22-year old Felix Saul of Rebok village was killed in the attack. He was a final year student at a public high school and a member of the church choir. Also killed were Theresa Bulus, 35-year old member of the Baptist Church of Kagaro, and 20-year old, Yacham Ayuba, of the First African Church Mission in Madobiya. At least 5 people from 5 different churches were killed during this terrorist raid and 11 Christians were hospitalised. Martha Blessed was shot as she tried to protect her infant son. Bullets broke both legs of a 13-year old Christian girl, Gloria Livinus.

Church Bombed
The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) auditorium was damaged in a bomb blast. Cracks caused by the explosion have destabilised the structure which could fall at any time. Bishop Bello called for sustained prayer for Christians under attack in Northern Nigeria and urged Christians worldwide to call on their governments to assist the Nigerian governments in defending against such Islamic terror attacks.

Do Christians Care About Their Persecuted Brethren?
Nigerian Christians who visited our Mission last night expressed their frustration at how so many Christians in the West seem to ignore the rising tide of anti-Christian violence throughout the Middle East. The Church is meant to be one Body. Where is the love and concern for our brethren? Many Christians seem to want to delude themselves that Islam is a peaceful and tolerant religion. It is a good thing they are peaceful and tolerant - imagine if they were violent!

"Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:15-18

Pray for Nigeria
It is so important for our brethren in Northern Nigeria know that they are not alone, that they are not forgotten.

Christian Civilisation at Risk
Our Nigerian brethren are also deeply concerned over the Islamic invasion of much of Europe and North America. They fear that Europe will become Eurabia, and that parts of America and Canada will fall under Shari'a law. Many Christians are having such small families and the Muslims are having such large families. Because of this massive migration by Muslims into Western countries which have traditionally been Christian, the whole demographics of Europe and North America are in danger of shifting. The faith and freedoms of those countries which are traditional Missionary sending nations are being undermined. There is an urgent need for Church to wake up and understand the true nature of Islam and the crisis threatening churches worldwide.

Persecution Today
More than 400 million Christians in 66 countries worldwide suffer under religious persecution. Yet little is heard about this and many churches give little, or no, attention to remembering the persecuted, praying for the persecuted and serving the persecuted Churches.

"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also." Hebrews 13:3

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

]]><![CDATA[Christian Students Targeted in Nigeria]]>Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/christian-students-targeted-in-nigeriaCampus Carnage
At about 10pm on 1st October, heavily armed Muslims attacked the off-campus hostels of the Federal Polytechnic State University, College of Health Technology and several private residences of Christians in the Tudun Wada Wuro Patuje area of Adamawa state. The assailants demanded to know the names of each student. Those with Christian names were shot, or stabbed. Their bodies were left in lines outside the student hostels.

Selection for Extermination
Those students with Muslim names were required to quote from the Qur'an. Those who could accurately quote from the Qur'an were allowed to go. Those Muslim students who failed to quote the Qur'an were treated as infidels and shot and slashed.

Recant or Die
One of the survivors, Manasseh, reported that: "They asked me to recant my Christian Faith to spare my life. I refused. After my Muslim roommate quoted some Islamic scripture, he was told to leave the room, they said they were only after these infidels who would all die that day. Then they shot me and slashed my back." Manasseh was left for dead, but survived, despite the grievous wounds.

The Testimony of a Survivor
Another survivor, Elkanah Sardauna, testified: "I was asked to say my name. To which I replied that I am a Christian and that my name is Elkanah. They threw me to the ground and shouted Allahu Akbar! I cried out to Jesus, face to the ground. They demanded that I stop calling on Jesus, but I persisted. The next moment I was shot in the hand, and then slashed with a knife at the back of my neck. They must have thought I was dead, because they left. It was only God who saved me when they came to our room. We were four sharing a room and all of us had Christian names. My three roommates were killed before my eyes."

Student Representative Council Targeted
Prior to their attack, Muslims had circulated letters warning the believers that they must either recant their Christian Faith within two weeks, or suffer fatal consequences. Later, police searches of student residences uncovered weapon stashes including brand new AK-47s, submachine guns and poison tipped arrows. Numerous Muslim students have been arrested since the attacks. Some claim that the Federal Polytechnic had been targeted because the students had elected a Christian for their president. Several of the Student Representative Council were among those murdered during the attack.

Ethnic Cleansing
Approximately 50% of Adamawa State's population is Christian. It is not one of the 12 Northern states of Nigeria which imposes Shari'a law. However, Muslim radicals are attempting to ethnically cleanse the state of Christians in order to make Adamawa an Islamic state under Shari'a law.

Suicide Bomb Attack
On Sunday, 28 October, a suicide car bomber drove into a church in Northern Nigeria. At least 7 worshippers were killed and more than 100 injured during this suicide bombing attack. The church targeted was St. Rita's Catholic Church in Kaduna. The explosive laden vehicle drove through a wall into the church, detonating its load and ripping a large hole in the wall and roof. Kaduna is on the dividing line between the Muslim North and Christian South in Nigeria.

Pray for the Persecuted
Sunday, 4 November is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. See the new IDOP-Africa website for articles, news and resources to mobilise your church, or school to pray for the persecuted.

Over 400 million Christians live under 66 governments which restrict religious freedom and persecute believers. Every year an average of 220,000 Christians are killed for their Faith.

"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the Body also."Hebrews 13:3

Dr. Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

]]><![CDATA[Mission to Nigeria - August 2012]]>Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/mission-to-nigeria-august-2012Dear Friends and Family

Greetings in the precious and mighty Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
I am happy to report that I have safely arrived back from a very successful and enlightening Mission to Nigeria.

I was privileged to be part of a team from Shalom Ministries (better known for their Mighty Men's Conferences) that had been invited to Nigeria to witness and assist in the vision for God's Kingdom in Taraba State, Nigeria.

Arrival, Welcome and Security
We were received very warmly by a welcoming party who were very excited to have us in Nigeria. We were shown to the vehicle in which we would drive to Jalingo. This vehicle was part of a four-car convoy with Police and Army escorts. The lead vehicle would clear out any obstructing traffic with its Police siren and horn effectively pushing them off the road to make way for the vehicles that would follow. It really seemed extravagant to us. Wherever we went, we were accompanied by seven government security officials - three soldiers and four policemen, who ensured that our journey was a safe one.

The Vision
I was amazed at the great vision that our host in Nigeria has for the Kingdom of God and his selfless sacrifice of pouring 90% of his income into this vision.

The Great Gospel House Permanent Site
We went to see a few projects that Col Kefas had initiated and still funds in Jalingo. We went to the Church building site (The Great Gospel House permanent site) where they are in the process of constructing a 5,000-seater auditorium. Much of the basic construction has been completed – the walls are up and most of the roof is on, but there's still a lot of work to be done. It is a massive and impressive structure in its design and stands out quite boldly. The highest point is about 7 storeys high and the top floor is what he calls the “Upper Room” which will be a prayer room where one will have an amazing view of the whole of Jalingo.

He desires to have this project completed by early 2013 and then have Evangelist Angus Buchan dedicate the building at the opening ceremony which is scheduled for October 2013.

Much of the land around the Church has been bought up for security reasons so that adequate check-points can be put in place to protect the church from car bombs. He also has a vision of building a 'large Christian town' on these premises with a school, shopping mall, clinic, and other amenities. This 'town' will be fenced off and walled in order to keep Jihadists and ‘Boko Harem’ terrorists (who have been waging war on the Christians) from entering.

Blue Oasis Bottled Water
We then went to the bottled spring water plant that Col. Kefas has set up in Jalingo. The water factory is ready to start production as soon as the license is obtained from the government. Proceeds from this operation will fund ministry work. We were given an in-depth guided tour of the factory after Mr Pletts had given some advice on bottling water. This information had been gleaned from Shalom Ministries Origin Water in Greytown. The name of this water will be Blue Oasis. They are really progressive and well equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, which ensures a very professional operation. This bears testimony to their research.

Vision for a School
We also visited a rural area called Kona, not far from and overlooking Jalingo at the foot of the nearby mountains. Col. Kefas has purchased about 5 hectares of land here and envisages building a Christian Boarding School for the community. He wishes to obtain advice from us on how best to design and construct such an establishment.

Col. Kefas has already been instrumental in funding and organizing the restoration of two other schools that had been neglected and abandoned by the government of Nigeria.

Other Projects
We were also taken to many other sites to view various projects that Col. Kefas has initiated which will support and facilitate the overall vision that he has for God's Kingdom in Nigeria. Among these were various lands which have been acquired with the idea of turning them into commercial farmlands for which he was asking advice and direction from David Pletts, as he is a professional and successful farmer in South Africa.

Weekend Revival Crusade
The highlight of this Nigeria Mission was the ‘Liberty to the Captives’ Revival Crusade that we were invited to speak at. It was a three-day Crusade which was held over a weekend with the first meeting being a six-hour meeting starting at 10pm Friday night and continuing until 4am on Saturday morning. The Crusade continued through the weekend with many great opportunities to preach the Gospel, to encourage believers and to pray for many who were in bondage, troubled by illness, or just seeking to know God more intimately.

God used Uncle Dave in a mighty way during this Crusade as he shared some personal testimonies of how God delivers from hate and revenge and instils forgiveness. This was very appropriate in this context as many of these Christians have lost loved ones to evil men who are enemies of Christ.

Sunday Worship Service
On Sunday morning I shared with them an encouraging vision that I have for Taraba State and for Nigeria. “The sun rises in the east and moves across the sky towards the west; Taraba State is on the east of Nigeria, and I see a great light shining in Taraba and spreading across Nigeria and covering the entire country. May God start in Jalingo and may the Light of His glorious Gospel and Grace shine here in Jalingo and then may it spread from here across the whole country and even on to the rest of Africa.” I also encouraged them through Hebrews 13:5b [Amplified]

“for He [God] Himself has said, 'I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]'”

Encouraging Pastors
We had a really blessed meeting with about 30 pastors of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. Uncle Dave spoke about Discipleship being a crucial focus for our churches today. While so much importance is being put on Evangelism (which is vital) not enough attention is given to Discipleship. I continued from 2 Timothy 3:16 showing that the Word of God is vital in Discipleship being “useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” I went on to show that we are instructed to use the Scripture: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus… preach the Word… reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” I also highlighted 2 Timothy 4:5 “do the work of an Evangelist, fulfil your ministry”

Distributing Literature
After we concluded speaking to these pastors I was able to distribute some of the valuable Discipleship and Evangelism training material that I had brought with me from South Africa. I was able to give each pastor a copy of Mark Cahill's book The Second Greatest Lie and I gave each pastor a choice of any one of our AV discs. I was also able to selectively give some other books to pastors who seemed eager and trustworthy to use effectively the resources.

Baptism
We were privileged to baptize about 60 believers in the river that winds its way past Jalingo. I stood at uncle Dave's right hand and Agbu at his left. The folk who were to be baptized came in a long line, ladies first. One at a time they came to uncle Dave who asked God's blessings on them and baptized them 'in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Agbu, Emmanuel and I assisted in taking them through the water.

Mission Overview
We were privileged to have about 11 opportunities to minister on various occasions. We were also taken to see more than 12 different projects that are linked to the vision and ministry of Col. Kefas and at each place Uncle Dave prayed for God’s blessing to be upon the project.

Valuable Resources Delivered
I was able to take 60kg of valuable literature for the Christians in Nigeria, some of the titles included: Practical Discipleship, Slavery Terrorism and Islam, Shooting Back, The Christian at War, Security and Survival in Unstable times, Holocaust in Rwanda, Mohammed's Believe it or Else, The Ten Commandments, The Second Greatest Lie, Power from on High, and the Discipleship Training Manual.

I was also able to deliver vital DVDs. Amazing Grace - The History and Theology of Calvinism, Herman Who?, What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?, Evangelizing in the War Zones, Islam Rising, Sudan: The Hidden Holocaust, Radical Islam, A Call for Discernment, and More Than Dreams.

Some of the MP3 discs and Audio CDs that I was able to deliver included: Revival, Muslim Evangelism Workshop, Answering Skeptics, Soldiers for Christ, and the Basic Christian Training boxset.

Conclusion
So I believe that all in all, we had a very successful mission to Nigeria and we have come home with some great info and valuable data to share with those who may be able to help to get this vision for the Kingdom of God in Nigeria become reality.

I believe that there will still be many challenges to face, but I strongly believe that God is doing something great in Jalingo and wants to be glorified in Nigeria through the ministry of Col. Agbu Kefas.

“He Who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” Philippians 1:6

Thank you very much for your love, your prayers and your support.

Mission to Malawi and Zambia
Please continue to pray for me and my teammate, Tian as we have already embarked on our next Mission to Malawi and Zambia to encourage, equip, and train needy pastors, teachers and Evangelists. Our vehicle is fully loaded with about a tonne of valuable Gospel literature and tracts. Please pray that God will give us favour with the border officials and protect us from all evil.

May God continue to be your joy and strength.

In His service

Michael Watson
Missionary Field Worker

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

]]><![CDATA[Churches Attacked in Nigeria]]>Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/churches-attacked-in-nigeriaJihad
Since the establishment of Sharia Law in Northern Nigeria, in 2001, over 13,750 Christians have been killed for their faith by Muslims. Just since December 2011, over 300 churches have been destroyed in Northern Nigeria.

5 Million Christians in Northern Nigeria live under severe persecution. Radical Islamic groups regularly issue ultimatums to Christian communities: "You have three days to leave, or you will die!" Christians throughout Northern Nigeria are continuing to suffer a series of attacks which are often pre-planned and well co-ordinated. There are many attempts to force them to convert to Islam under the threat of death. Many have courageously died as Martyrs rather than deny Christ.

Islamicists in Nigeria call it Odium Fidei - The War of Religion. In the village of Dogo Nahawa, Islamicists with machetes killed over 300 Christians, mostly women and children.
Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for scores of recent suicide bombings and machine gunning of congregations throughout Northern Nigeria. Boko Haram has claimed thousands of lives. Boko Haram claims to be fighting for an Islamic state - a caliphate - in Nigeria.

The Battle for Nigeria's Soul
Many Muslims, both persecutors and those appalled by the behaviour of the Radical Jihadists, have been won to Christ in recent years. The scale of persecution of Christians by Muslims in Northern Nigeria has accelerated over the last decade. Many hundreds, even into the thousands of church buildings have been damaged, or destroyed, and thousands of believers have been murdered.

From Islam to Christ
An Evangelist in Northern Nigeria writes to us: "Islamic hatred for the Gospel of Christ is seen in many ways. On a Muslim website under the title Evangelism Invasion, they complain that Christian Evangelism has become a big threat to them. Muslims are being incited to reject and oppose the Gospel, claiming that Northern Nigeria is Islamic and no Muslim should listen to, or accept the Gospel. Please pray for me and my team. We are compelled to preach the Gospel, no matter the risks involved. Some Muslim children get the beating of their lives just for their presence in outreach centres, but the beatings didn't stop them from coming the following day either. In the midst of the bombs, God is still moving powerfully in Northern Nigeria. Muslims are coming to know Christ, the only way to Salvation."

"Brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith." 2 Thess 3:1-2

Mobilise Prayer and Action
Please join with us in fervent prayer that the sufferings of our Christian brethren in Northern Nigeria, South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains become known to the Church worldwide and that the persecutors be exposed and opposed. Let us pray that peace with justice be firmly established.

Understanding the Threat
During this time of escalating violence against Christians throughout the Middle East, it is absolutely essential that Christians understand the nature of radical Islam. The best books to enable you to understand the threat of Islamic Jihad and how Christians are impacted are: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam - The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat and Faith Under Fire in Sudan. With over 200 pictures, maps and charts, this 300 page book is well-illustrated. The third edition of Faith Under Fire in Sudan is 320 pages, with over 200 pictures.

Films to Combat Radical Islam
Frontline Fellowship took in the Jeremiah Films crew who produced Sudan: The Hidden Holocaust and Terrorism and Persecution - Understanding Islamic Jihad. Both of these landmark films and an additional one produced by a secular war correspondent, who experienced a bombing at a Frontline church service, are available on one DVD boxset.
These three films on Sudan, along with the four part series Islam Rising, are the very best expose on radical Islam. Every congregation should be shown these films. They are ideal for mid-week services. A Church is called to be a House of Prayer for all nations, and to remember the persecuted. These books and films will enable your congregation to do just that, effectively.

Prayer and Action
It is our earnest prayer that the Lord will use these books, DVDs and Audio MP3 Muslim Evangelism Workshop to alert Christians to the real threats, the urgent needs and unprecedented opportunities before us, to reach Muslims with the life-changing Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God be pleased to inspire, energise, and equip us to fulfil the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ in Muslim communities, in our neighbourhoods and throughout the Middle East and the 10/40 Window.

Jihad in Nigeria
At least 15 people were killed and more than 40 seriously injured on Sunday, 3 June, when a Boko Haram suicide bomber drove his car into a checkpoint outside The Living Faith Church in Bauchi. The explosion, which occurred at 9:20am, sent shrapnel through believers who were fellowshipping outside, after the church's first worship service. The explosion also hit the Harvest Field Church only 25m away across the road, causing part of the church building to collapse on worshipers.

Churches Under Siege
Christians in Northern Nigeria are continuing to attend worship services behind barricades and check points, which have been erected to attempt to protect them from the systematic campaign of bombing Christian churches. Muslim mobs continue to raid Christian communities at night. Boko Haram has quoted Surah 7:4: "Our punishment came to them at night, or while they were sleeping at noon."

Beheaded in Tunisia
Graphic footage of a young convert to Christianity being beheaded was filmed in Tunisia. Islamic militants recited the Quran and chanted Islamic slogans and curses in Arabic, while the "apostate" who had refused to recant his conversion to Christ, calmly prayed before being beheaded. It was not long ago that Tunisia was regarded as the most free and open of all Arab states. The popular support for murdering of Arabs who convert to Christianity bodes ill for the Arab Spring.

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

]]><![CDATA[Nigeria Update - Church Attacked]]>Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/nigeria-update-church-attackedAnother Church Attacked
The Deeper Life Bible Church in Otite was attacked by AK-47 wielding Islamicists at an evening service on Monday, 6 August. At least 19 people were killed, including a pastor in this attack. Otite is near Okene in Kogi State, much further South than previous Boko Haram terrorist attacks.

Boko Haram Terrorism
In February, Boko Haram had attacked a jail in Kogi State to free inmates. In April, the Nigerian Security Forces raided a bomb-making factory in Okene, killing at least 9 Boko Haram terrorists. Reportedly 10 terrorists carried out the attack on The Deeper Life Bible Church this last Monday.

"God is Just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled… this will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the Majesty of His power on the Day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed." 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

Dr. Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

]]><![CDATA[Nigeria Update - Christians Targeted]]>Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/nigeria-update-christians-targetedChristians Targeted
Muslim Jihadists continue to attack Christians in Northern Nigeria. Rev. Dachollom Datiri of The Church of Christ in Nigeria has reported that over 100 members of the Church of Christ were killed by Muslim assailants in 12 villages: Dogo, Kakkuruk, Kuzen, Kai, Kura Falls, Maseh, Negon, Ninchah, Pwabiduk, Ngyo and Ruk in Plateau state.

Islamic Jihad
The attackers were identified as Fulani tribesmen. The Fulani tribe are overwhelmingly Muslim. Most of the victims of the latest attacks are from the Birom tribe which is mostly Christian. Many of the farmers report that their crops have been burned.

Burned to Death
In Maseh, Christians who had fled their homes found sanctuary in a church building. This building was burned down by Muslim Fulani with 50 Christians killed in the blaze. The Islamicist Terrorist Organisation, Boko Haram, has declared that they are launching these attacks to "achieve our goal of establishing an Islamic state, a caliphate."

Mission to Nigeria
Please pray for Michael and David involved in a Mission to Nigeria at this time.

"Brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith." 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

Dr. Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

]]><![CDATA[The Battle for the Soul of Nigeria]]>Wed, 11 Jul 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/the-battle-for-the-soul-of-nigeria

Battleground
Even before its Independence in 1960, Nigeria had been a battleground between the Muslim North and the Christian South. Nigeria has never really been one homogenous country. The area today known as Nigeria existed as a number of independent and hostile nations until 1900. Britain was requested to intervene in the area in the 1800s, by the Yoruba king, to stop the ravages of the slave trade.

Protectorates
The first step towards building Nigeria came in 1900 with the creation by the British government of the Northern and Southern Protectorates, along with the Colony of Lagos. In May 1906, the Colony of Lagos and the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria was amalgamated to become one administrative area.

Frontline Fellowship · The Persecution of Christians in Nigeria: Facts and Figures

Amalgamation
The first step in the amalgamation of the Muslim North with the Christian and Animist South of Nigeria, was the move by Lord Lugard on 1 January 1914, to bring both Nigeria's under one amalgamated administrative base in Lagos. During the Nigeria Council debate in Lagos 1920, Sir Hugh Clifford described Nigeria as: "A collection of independent native states, separated from one another by great distances, by differences of history and traditions and by ethnological, racial, tribal, political, social and religious barriers."

A Country of Contrasts and Conflict
The 1922 Constitution made provision for elected members of the Nigerian Legislative Council to make laws for the Southern provinces, but not for the North. The British recognised that Nigeria was effectively three regions and they organised their indirect rulethrough the already well-developed political, social and economic systems of Nigeria’s major ethnic groups.

Muslim North
The mostly Muslim North was ruled indirectly through the Emirs, who themselves owed allegiance to a supreme Sultan. The Hausa and Fulani tribes predominate in the North.

Yorubaland
The Yoruba predominate in the South West. Although ruled by monarchs, the Yoruba allowed for greater upward mobility based on acquired, rather than inherited, wealth and titles.

Igboland
The Igbo in the South East lived in autonomous, organised communities, which were under chiefs, but who made their decisions through general assemblies, in which the men could participate.

Missionary Work
As Christian missionaries had first begun work among the Yoruba in the South West, the Yoruba were the best educated, and provided most of the civil servants, doctors, lawyers, technicians and other professionals. The Igbo had received the Gospel much later than the Yoruba, but had overwhelmingly adopted Christianity and had enthusiastically taken to Western education. Many of the wealthiest Igbo sent their sons to British universities. Soon the Igbo outstripped all others in entrepreneurship.

No Missionaries Allowed in the North
However, Christian Missionaries were forbidden to operate in the Muslim North of Nigeria. As a result, by 1960, Northern Nigeria was by far the least developed area, with a literacy rate of barely 2%.

Divergent Aspirations
During the 1940s and 1950s, the Igbo and Yoruba parties were in the forefront of the campaign for independence from Britain. The Northern leaders, fearful that they would be swamped by the more prosperous, better-educated Southerners, preferred the perpetuation of British rule. The Hausa/Fulani North demanded that they would only accept independence on the condition that the country continue to be divided into three regions, with the North having effective autonomy in terms of its laws, but benefiting from the wealth of the South.

Regionalism
The Constitution of 1950 entrenched the regional separation along ethnic lines between the Fulani and Hausa North, the Yoruba South West and the Igbo South East. The 1951 Constitution granted strong regional legislatures.

Independence Delayed
The Kano riots of 1953 delayed the target date of self-government. The Constitutional Conferences of 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960, culminated in the granting of Independence to Nigeria on 1 October 1960.

Tribal Politics
The political parties were largely regional and based on tribal allegiances. The Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) represented the Hausa and Fulani Muslims of the North. The Action Group (AG) represented the Yoruba in the West and the National Conference of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) the Igbo in the East.

Tumultuous Times
From the beginning of Nigeria's Independence, ethnic and religious tensions between the Southern regions and North, beset the new government. The general census of 1962 was widely denounced as riddled with malpractices and gross inflation of figures of such astronomical proportions that the Eastern region refused to accept the results.

Revolt Against Islam
The middle belt of tribes, including the Tiv, revolted against the Islamic rule of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) from 1962 to 1965.

Fraudulent Elections
The first general elections of 1964 triggered the greatest crisis of all. The elections were generally dismissed as neither free, nor fair, and even the Chairman of the Electoral Commission admitted that there were proven irregularities. The 1965 Elections were even more brazenly and shamefully rigged and law and order broke down completely, leading to a state of anarchy.

Lawlessness
Arson and indiscriminate killings were carried out by private armies of thugs owing allegiance to the various political parties. Law-abiding citizens lived in constant fear of their lives and properties.

Chaos Leads to Coup
Amidst the widespread chaos and confusion, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu led a group of junior army officers in seizing control of the government in a coup d’état. This coup was generally applauded in the North where it was most successful.

Military Rule
Then General Johnson Ironsi took control of the country instituting military rule, but claiming that he wanted to defend the democratic institutions (which had clearly failed) and clean up corruption, before returning the country to democratic rule.

Counter Coup
As Ironsi was an Igbo, the Northerners executed a counter coup on 29 July 1966, led by Lieutenant Colonel Murtala Mohammed. To attempt to allay the fears of the Southerners, Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon, a Christian from a minority tribe in the North, was put forward as the nominal head of the military government.

Massacres
Thereafter large-scale massacres of Christian Igbo living in the Muslim North erupted and continued throughout August and September 1966. General lawless and disorder spread throughout the North like wildfire, with widespread looting and killing of Southern Christians.

Ethnic Cleansing
Even Lieutenant Colonel Gowon, as the military head of state, broadcast: "I receive complaints daily that up till now Easterners living in the North are being killed and molested and their property looted. It appears that it is going beyond reason and is now at a point of recklessness and irresponsibility."

Seceding from Chaos
Amidst this breakdown of law and order, the military governor of the Igbo dominated South East, Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu joined with the Southern parliament in proclaiming the secession of the South Eastern region from Nigeria. As one commentator at the time proclaimed: "The federation was sick at birth and by January 1966, the sick, bedridden babe collapsed." Three coup d’états in one year, followed by widespread targeting and massacres of Christian Igbo in the Muslim North, had now provoked the South Eastern region to secede from chaos.

Separation
At this point soldiers in the Nigerian Armed Forces were encouraged to return to their place of origin. Muslim Hausa soldiers in the South moved North, Igbo and Yoruba Christian soldiers in the North returned to their homes in the South. These soldiers, along with a stream of other refugees, returned to the South with news of Muslim brutality against them.

Hostility
Indignation grew and the fragile threads that held the artificial country together were severed. A war of words erupted through the radios and newspapers. Nigeria had never been united. The sixty years of British protectorate and 63 months of the First Republic had only hidden the basic disunity beneath a thin veneer.

Peace Negotiations
Early in 1967, a peace negotiation was called under the auspices of General Ankrah of Ghana, in Aburi, Ghana, between the Supreme Military Council of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Eastern Region Military Governor, Lieutenant General Ojukwu. Ojukwu managed to achieve agreement to a Confederation for Nigeria.

Breakdown
However, when Gowon returned to Lagos, the Nigeria Military Government reneged on the agreement he had just agreed to. Ojukwu accused the Federal Government of bad faith, lack of integrity and going back on its agreement. An attempt by the Emperor Hallie Selassie of Ethiopia to intervene was unsuccessful. This new nation was proclaimed the Republic of Biafra on 30 May 1967.

Independence Declared
When on 30 May 1967, the Republic of Biafra was proclaimed, Colonel Gowon ordered a total blockade of the South Eastern province. June was spent by both sides in frenzied preparations for war.

The Nigerian Civil War Begins
The war began on 6 July 1967, when the Nigerian Federal troops opened an artillery barrage and then advanced in two columns into Biafra. They faced unexpectantly fierce resistance and suffered high casualties. The Biafrans then responded with an offensive of their own on 9 August when Biafran forces moved West, across the Niger River and through Benin City. Within two weeks they had advanced to just 130 miles East of the Nigerian capital of Lagos. While the Nigerians ultimately recaptured this territory, the Biafrans had succeeded in throwing the Nigerians onto the defensive and tying down vast numbers of Federal troops, who otherwise would have been invading Biafra.

Resistance
When the Nigerian Federal Army attempted to cross the Niger River from Asaba, they lost over 5,000 soldiers in the battle. 1968 was a year of military stalemate. The Nigerian forces were unable to make significant advances due to stiff resistance and a series of major defeats.

Starvation
However, the capture of Port Harcourt and the naval blockade of Biafra led to a humanitarian disaster with widespread civilian hunger and starvation in the besieged Igbo areas. The Biafrans claimed that Nigeria was using hunger and genocide to win the war. At this stage volunteer bodies began organising blockade breaking relief flights into Biafra, carrying food and medicines.

International Involvement
Nigeria received huge financial and military support from the United Arab Republic, including Egyptian Air Force units which ruthlessly bombed refugee feeding centres, hospitals and churches. Nigeria also received military support from the Soviet Union, Syria, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Red China and inexplicably the United Kingdom.

Atrocities from the Air
Egyptian pilots used MiG17 fighter bombers and Ilyushin-28 bombers to attack civilian targets, even bombing Red Cross shelters and hospitals. French Doctor Bernard Kouchner was outraged that the gag order, that the Red Cross required its volunteers to sign, prevented him from reporting on the widespread, systematic human rights violations by Nigerian forces and their Egyptian allies, against the Christian Igbo.

The Birth of Doctors Without Borders
When Dr. Kouchner publically criticised the Nigerian government and The Red Cross for their seeming complicity in this humanitarian disaster, which was leading to the deaths of hundreds-of-thousands of Biafran civilians, a new aid organisation was born. Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), was founded in 1971, by these dissident French Red Cross medical personnel who were outraged by the helplessness of the Red Cross to ignore the political and religious boundaries and prioritise the welfare of victims.

Against All Odds
Biafra received support only from South Africa, Rhodesia and Portugal. A small number of foreign volunteers also helped the Biafrans in their brave battle against all odds. German born Colonel Rolf Steiner was not a mercenary, in that he fought as a volunteer - without pay. Col. Steiner led the Fourth Commandos effectively against the Nigerians. On one raid he destroyed six Soviet bombers and fighter jets on the ground. South African soldier Maj. Hugh (Taffy) Williams inspired his Biafran soldiers to defeat divisions of Soviet led Federal forces with skill and courage. Captain Jan Breytenbach led a company of South African paratroopers to train and support the Biafrans.

Biafran Air Force
Count Carl Gustav von Rosen, was a Swedish flying Ace and idealist who came close to changing the course of the war with his bold hedge-hoping minicoin raids on Nigeria. Count von Rosen equipped five Malmo MF1-9 Minicoin small single piston engined aircraft with 68mm anti-armour rocket pods and machine guns. His Biafran Air Force included three Swedes, and an ex-royal Canadian Air Force pilot. Van Rosen's BAF succeeded in destroying several MiG-17s and three of Nigeria's Ilyushin-28 Bombers, which had been used to bomb Biafran villages and farms on a daily basis. The small, but bold, Biafran Air Force disrupted the combat operations of the Nigerian Air Force and army attacking Nigerian air fields and military columns.

Innovations
The Canadian pilot, Lynn Garrison, innovated the method of dropping bag supplies to remote areas. By placing a sack of food inside a larger sack, when the package hit the ground, the inner sack would rupture, but the outer one would keep the contents intact. Many tonnes of food were dropped in this way to besieged Biafrans who would have otherwise died of starvation. Rhodesian pilot, Jack Malloch, flew desperately needed supplies, landing at Annabelle - Biafra's jungle airstrip near Uli.

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Resourceful
The odds were greatly against the Biafrans. At the outbreak of hostilities, the Eastern region had insufficient arms for their soldiers. With great ingenuity, and enthusiastic support of the general population, the Biafrans manufactured rockets, mines, tanks, grenade launchers, bombs, flamethrowers, vaccines, and clothing. They also armoured and equipped civilian boats to form a small Navy.

Isolated
However, very few countries in Africa recognised Biafra's independence. The exceptions were Zambia, Tanzania, Gabon and the Ivory Coast.

Overwhelming Logistical Disparity
Logistics plainly won the war for the Nigerians. Not only were numbers on their side, but vast quantities of ammunition were supplied by the Muslim Middle East and by Red China, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. The Biafran soldiers were plainly better trained and more highly motivated. However, in the end, lack of ammunition and food proved decisive.

Operation Tailwind
With increased British support, the Nigerian Federal Forces launched a final offensive against the Biafrans on 23 December 1969, with a major thrust from the South, led by Colonel Obasanjo (who later became a military ruler and much later the first elected President in Nigeria). Operation Tailwind was launched 7 January 1970 with Third Division launching from the South, the First Division from the North and the Second Division from the West.

Defeat
Overwhelmed from all sides, and with their only remaining airstrip overrun, the Biafrans surrendered on 15 January 1970. The war cost the Igbos a great deal in terms of lives, money and infrastructure. Up to 3 million people died in the conflict, most of these from starvation and disease.

Dispossessed and Impoverished
Igbos who fled for their lives during the war, returned to their homes to find their properties taken over by others. This injustice was condoned by the Nigerian government by claiming that the properties were "abandoned". Similarly, Igbos lost their jobs by being informed that they had "resigned" by fleeing the fighting. The suffering of the Biafrans was intensified by Nigeria changing its currency and refusing to honour Biafra's supplies of pre-war Nigerian currency. Effectively this devastated the Igbo middle-class and destroyed their savings.

Three Decades of Dictatorships
Nigeria continued to suffer under a succession of military dictators. Each coup d’état seemed to only intensify the widespread corruption.

Corruption
Today Operation World reports that: "The scale of corruption in Nigeria is staggering. It is widely regarded as one of the world's most corrupt societies and is infamous for e-mail scams, international crime and drug-running. Graft, bribery and embezzlement are commonplace at every level of society. Since the 1960s, over US$400 Billion has been lost through corruption, almost all to the very people entrusted with the nation's stewardship." "The impact of corruption on Nigeria is devastating and crippling. It pulls others into the grasping free-for-all… it leaves the Nation's reputation in tatters and it generates such disillusionment that violence and extreme reactions appear to be the only ones that work."

Ongoing Threats
"Extremist Muslim agitation in the North, armed militias in the disgruntled and oil-rich South East, pervasive corruption, a self-serving network of beaurocratic elite, immigration/brain drain, widespread poverty…" all threaten Nigeria's fledgling democracy.
A Divided Country
The three regions of Nigeria have now developed into 36 states. 8 of these states are overwhelmingly Muslim, 18 are overwhelmingly Christian, and 10 are split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims.

Sharia and Jihad
The imposition of Sharia law since 1999, in 9 Northern states and parts of 4 others, has led to the martyrdom of over 13,750 Christians and the destruction of many hundreds of church buildings. Officially, Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with freedom of religion, but that is not protected in the Sharia law dominated North. The Muslim Hausa and Fulani dominated areas continue to be a law unto themselves and the constitutional rights of Nigerians are ignored in these areas. As Operation World reports: "The introduction of Sharia law in Northern Muslim states is a direct challenge to the Federal government. It is an open door to human rights abuses and the further infiltration of Nigeria by extremists. It is a danger to national stability and a threat to Christian ministry in those states."

The Greatest Need
Operation World reports that church growth in Nigeria has been massive, yet there is a widespread failure of discipleship and balanced Bible teaching. "Africa's - and Nigeria's - greatest spiritual challenge is not Islam, not corruption, not even the need for Missions, but Discipleship. If the Nigerian Church were truly discipled and brought to maturity in Christ, it would be an unstoppable force."

False Gospels Inoculate Against the True Gospel
"Unbalanced prosperity theology and chasing after dubious miracles, cheapen the Good News. Numerous doctrinal distortions, greed masquerading as Biblical prosperity, spiritual charlatanism and unethical fundraising, not only exchange the truth for lies, but also inoculate millions against the real message of the Gospel." "Nominalism …double standards are widespread and immorality, …compromise with the world brings strife and disrepute to the Gospel."

Threats and Pressures
"Christian leaders are under great stress in today's Nigeria, including spiritual opposition, political pressure and financial temptation. Those in the North also face very real dangers from Muslim extremists."

Credibility Gap
"There is frequently a gap between what is preached and what is perceived to be practised by Christian leaders."

Cultic Competition
"A profusion of competing denominations and sects has emerged, many of them claiming inflated numbers to increase the prestige of their leaders."

Fakes and Frauds
"Extravagant lifestyles and oily showmanship assert spiritual depth and Biblical preaching as indicators of anointing. Instances of corruption, theft, embezzlement and sexual immorality are tragically frequent. Accountability is often absent; the 'big man' dynamic plays into the same materialism, pride and carnality that cripple Nigeria politically and economically. Pray that humility, simplicity and holiness might become the watchwords of the Nigerian church."

Persecution
"The scale of persecution of Christians by Muslims has accelerated Nigeria's Northern states and as far South as the Central Plateau. It has caused the deaths of thousands, including pastors, and the destruction of hundreds, even thousands, of churches. It has united Christians and driven them to the Lord in prayer, but it also threatens the very fabric of Nigerian society and statehood."

Literature
"Literature is vital… especially in the areas of Discipleship… they are avidly sought after, but in short supply. The number of bookshops is very few… many mega church pastors write copiously, but the topics are the same - Prosperity, Success and Overcoming. Pray for those who are interested in writing on a wide range of issues, and in a culturally and contextually relevant way, but lack the means and publishing sources."

Radio
"Nigeria has one of the world's highest proportions and numbers of short wave radio listeners. Even more have access to FM. With Nigeria's low rural literacy level and strong oral story telling culture, radio is vital for evangelism and discipleship. Pray for all unreasonable restrictions to be lifted for local radio. Many unevangelised groups can receive Christian radio broadcasts in their own language. The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) is known to play a restrictive role on Christian broadcasts on national stations, as well as frustrating the setting up of Christian radio stations. This calls for prayer."

Islamic Oppression
"Sharia law is accompanied by restrictions on church buildings, the banning of Christian religious education in state schools, communal violence, destruction of many churches and loss of life - mostly of Christians, who are automatically degraded to second class citizens. Pray that Christians may respond with love, wisdom, peace and spiritual authority; pray they will be able to freely exercise their constitutional right to testify about Christ."

Christian Courage and Resilience
"Persecution is often so severe that many Christian workers have fled the region. In some areas, many churches and even entire denominations have been burned out. Rebuilding often happens - occasionally multiple times - at great expense to the congregation and without compensation, or assurances that attacks won't happen again. Pray for great faith and endurance for those Christians suffering such loss."

(Source: Operation World - The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation, edited by Jason Mandryk, 7th Edition, 2010, Biblica.)

"Brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith." 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

Dr. Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

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]]><![CDATA[Bombing of Churches in Nigeria Intensifies]]>Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/bombing-of-churches-in-nigeria-intensifiesSuicide Bombings
Three more churches in Northern Nigeria were attacked by suicide bombers on Sunday, 17 June. The churches were attacked in Kaduna state, which lies on the dividing line between the Muslim North and Christian South of Nigeria. The Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) in Wusasa, the Cathedral of Christ the King in Zaria, and Shalom Church in Trikania, were hit simultaneously in co-ordinated suicide bombing attacks during Sunday morning services on 17 June. This was the third Sunday in a row that churches in Nigeria have been bombed. A Pentecostal church in Plateau state was bombed on 10 June, killing 2 and injuring over 40 Christians. The attack on Christ's Chosen Church of God was the second bombing of a church in Jos in one week. In Borno state, 2 Christians were killed as gunmen shot up a service.

Wounded Worshipers
Dr. Taylor Adeyemi at St. Luke's Hospital, reported that he received 40 victims of the bomb blast at ECWA. Most of the victims were children. 3 were dead on arrival. Reportedly 10 church-goers were killed in the bomb blast at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Trikania, and more than 50 injured. Eye-witness reports from the ECWA church in Wusasa, said that a suicide bomber forced his way past the security guard at the gate to detonate the bomb in front of the Evangelical entrance.

Death Toll Mounts
At least 23 people are reported to have been killed in the multiple bombing attacks on the 3 churches in Kaduna state, Sunday 17 June. While no group has yet claimed responsibility for these attacks, Boko Haram, whose terror campaign against churches have killed more than 1,000 Christians in attacks during the last 2 years, has normally claimed responsibility for suicide bombing attacks on churches in Northern Nigeria. More than 150 people have been treated in hospital nearby for wounds from the bomb blasts.

Curfew
As Christian youths retaliated by burning a Mosque in Kaduna, the state government imposed a dawn to dusk curfew and mobilised security forces in areas where Christians were threatening to retaliate to the escalating Islamic campaign of bombing Christian churches.

Please join in with us in fervent prayer that the sufferings of our Christian brethren become known to the whole world, that the persecutors be exposed, and opposed and that peace – with justice be firmly established.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…" Proverbs 31:8

Obtain and promote: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam – The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat (300 pages, 200 pictures) available from

Christian Liberty Books,
PO Box 358, Howard Place 7450,
Cape Town, South Africa,
tel: 021-689-7478,
email:admin@christianlibertybooks.co.za
and website: www.christianlibertybooks.co.za.

Those in North America can obtain this book and other resources for the persecuted from:
Frontline Fellowship - USA,
P.O. Box 728, Manitou Springs,
CO 80829, USA,
tel: 719-685-2899,
email: info@frontlinefellowship.net,
website: www.frontlinefellowship.net.

"Who will rise up for Me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for Me against the workers of iniquity?" Psalm 94:16

Dr. Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

]]><![CDATA[What is Behind the Jihad in Nigeria?]]>Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/what-is-behind-the-jihad-in-nigeriaNigeria is a country of contrasts and conflict. Nigeria has a Muslim north and a Christian south. However, unlike Sudan, in Nigeria it is the Christians who are the majority.

Nigeria is the largest nation in Africa (140 million people in 490 ethnic groups). In fact, Nigeria has more Christians, and more Muslims, than any other country in Africa.

Christians Persecuted
Christians have been severely persecuted in Nigeria's northern states. Literally hundreds of churches have been destroyed and thousands of Christians murdered in recent years with car bombs and suicide bombers targeting churches.

One popular book, which is widely circulated amongst the Muslims in Nigeria, declares: "Priests in their churches... should of course be killed without any exception… they should not build a church, nor leave one standing in an area controlled by the Muslims, if it is Muslim by force. Christians should not be allowed to hinder Muslims from being accommodated at their churches day or night. Gongs and bells should be hidden, no religious rights should be public.

Christians should not display their religious convictions openly… we are absolutely certain about declaring a person to be a kafir who belies or denies any of the foundations of the Shari'a or anything that is known by certainty to have been a deed by The Messenger…" The Sign of the Sword (1984) by Shaykh Abdalqadir Al-Murabit.

The Islamic Agenda
Also well circulated in Nigeria is The Programme adopted by the World Islamic Organisation at a conference, in 1974, in Mecca:

Muslim organisations should set up centres to resist Christian missionary activities.
Islamic radio and TV stations should be established.
All Christian activities, no matter the secular expression, should be stopped.
Christian hospitals, orphanages, schools and universities should be taken over.
Muslim organisations should set up Intelligence Centres about Christian activities.
All Christian literature should be banned in Muslim countries.

In 1975, when General Murtala Muhammed overthrew General Yakubu Gowon, was the beginning of the implementation of this programme in Nigeria. Many streets bearing Christian names were changed to Muslim names. Christian schools and hospitals were taken over by the state. Arabic inscriptions and emblems began to appear on Nigeria's currency notes and on emblems of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

At the Islam in Africa Conference in Abuja (1989) the Resolution issued at the conclusion of the conference declared their determination: "to show the whole world that Nigeria is truly an Islamic nation… to support the establishment and application of the Shari'a… to ensure the appointment of only Muslims into strategic national and international posts of member nations. To eradicate in all its forms and ramifications all non-Muslim religions in member nations (such religions shall include Christianity…) to ensure that only Muslims are elected to political posts of all member nations. To ensure the declaration of Nigeria (the 24th African and 46th world member of the OIC) a Federal Islamic Sultanate.

…to ensure the ultimate replacement of all Western forms of legal and judicial systems with the Shari'a in all member nations… to write the history of Islam in Africa and of Muslims and their institutions from authentic Islamic viewpoint… to propagate the knowledge of Islam throughout the continent… to call on Muslims to review the syllabi in the various educational institutions with a view to bringing them into conformity with Islamic ideals, goals and principles and to serve the needs of their community… to encourage the teaching of Arabic language, which is the language of the Qur'an as well as the lingua-franca of the continent and to strive for the restoration of the use of Arabic… to establish strong economic ties between African Islamic countries and other parts of the Muslim world in order to facilitate mutual assistance and co-operation… based on Islamic principles." Issued 28 November 1989 (1 Jumada al Awwal, 1410).

The Chairman of the Bureau for Islamic Propagation, Bashir Othman Tofa (a presidential candidate) declared: "…these dangerous devils calling themselves Christians… we Muslims cannot sacrifice our religion or our self-respect for any type of peaceful co-existence… it is time to begin the offensive… let us begin by proclaiming Friday as our Sabbath… do away with the Christian Red Cross symbol… let us found our own Islamic Jihad of Nigeria to counteract the evil machinations of the Christian Association of Nigeria. Let us act right now!!!"

"All the Christians Must be Shot"
The Muslim Brothers issued this statement which declared as their objective: "The establishment of the Shari'a of Allah and the destruction of Kafir from the face of the earth… it is this Kafir system which gives these slaves (Christians)… It puts them on same level, it even raised the Christians higher than the Muslims… it is also necessary that we rise and destroy oppressors and the Kafir system… Ulamas should rise up and take the lead for the annihilation of Kafir… oh we are tired of Kafir system of government, Jewish Laws and decrees, and the rest acts of worship of Christianity on us… all the Christians… must be brought out to public and be shot. From now on, Thursdays and Fridays must be work-free days… 'fight them until there remains no tumult (fitna) on the face of the earth and religion (way of life) becomes for Allah alone'. Qur'an"

Churches Burned, Christians Murdered
During recent ministry trips to Nigeria, I visited Lagos, Jos, Gboko and Abuja. I was shown numerous churches that had been damaged, vandalised or burned down by Muslim mobs. I received many heart-rending reports of Christians murdered by Muslims.

Many Christians bear the physical marks of bullet wounds, scars from machete wounds, cut off hands or feet, burns and deep slash marks on their necks and heads, inflicted by violent Muslim mobs.

Twelve northern states in Nigeria have proclaimed Shari'a law. Many hundreds of churches have been destroyed and thousands of believers murdered in Kaduna, Gombe, Sokoto, Kano and Bauchi. Central states, which are overwhelmingly Christian, have also borne the brunt of waves of Islamic Jihad. Thousands of Christians have been killed in Jos and Gboko, although the Christians in these areas have stood firm and resisted the Muslim offensives.

Africa's Largest Nation
Nigeria is a huge country (923 768 Km2). The geography varies from the lush mangrove and tropical rainforests in the south to the savannah and grasslands in the north. Two huge rivers flow across the country - the Niger and the Benue.

Nigeria has over 140 million people in 490 ethnic groups. The three largest tribes are: the Hausa/Fulani, the Yoruba and Igbo.

Literacy is officially 64%. The official language of Nigeria is English, although Hausa is widely used in the northern states.

Nigeria is potentially rich in agricultural land and mineral resources, with large oil reserves. The enormous oil wealth of Nigeria has been squandered and embezzled by a series of corrupt rulers. Over 34% of the population live below the poverty line and unemployment is officially 28%.

Missionary Heritage
Britain came to be involved in Nigeria primarily in order to crush the slave trade. Missionaries such as Mary Slessor and Samuel Crowther worked tirelessly to eradicate the slave trade, the killing of twins and other social evils. Samuel Crowther was a Yorubu who was captured by slave raiders and sold to Portuguese slave traders for transport across the Atlantic. Crowther was rescued by a British Naval squadron and received education in Sierra Leone and England. He was ordained by the Church of England and sent back to Yorubaland as a missionary. Crowther became the first African bishop of the Church of England.

Turbulent Times
There was great optimism for the future when Nigeria received its independence from Britain in 1960. However, the post-independence history has been turbulent, with a vicious civil war, during which millions of Christian Igbo's were starved or slaughtered by Federal forces. A succession of military coups, generally by Muslims, destroyed what was left of the post- independence optimism.

The sudden death of the brutal Muslim military dictator, Abacha, in 1998, brought General Olusegun Obasanjo, a committed Christian (converted while in prison in Jos), to the presidency. He has promised to eradicate corruption and bring about change, but there is great impatience and frustration at the pace and extent of the changes so far.

A concerted attempt by Muslim candidates to gain control in this first free election in the country's history ended with an overwhelming electoral victory for Obasanjo, and defeat for the Muslims.

Spectacular Church Growth
Amidst all the tensions, violence, coups and civil war, the churches in Nigeria have experienced spectacular growth. The Anglicans have grown from 900 000 in 1960 to over 12 million. SIM's work, which began at such great cost a century ago, has resulted in a dynamic church, ECWA (Evangelical Church of West Africa), with almost 5 million people. Evangelicals as a whole have grown from 2 million in 1960 to 28 million.

Massacres by Muslim Mobs
Christians in Jos told me how Muslims attacked and beat to death a pregnant Christian woman during their Friday prayer services. According to the Muslims, the woman had walked past the men during their Friday prayer time. So they beat her to death.

The Muslims then went on the rampage down the main road in Jos, burning Christian businesses, churches and homes. The next day the Christians rallied together and stood firm to resist the Muslim attacks.

"Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses." Nehemiah 4:14

Slaughter Under Shari'a
Of greatest concern to the Nigerian Christians that I had fellowship with, was the threat of Shari'a Law from the Muslims.

In Jos, on 7th September 2001, during Friday afternoon prayers, a Muslim mob beat a pregnant Christian woman to death. They claimed that she had walked past them while they were bowed in prayer, outside the Mosque. In rage, they got up from their prayer mats and savagely beat her, killing both the woman and her pre-born child.

Not satisfied with this innocent blood, the Muslims then went on the rampage down the main street in Jos, burning churches, shops and homes. Many hundreds of Christians were beaten, shot or hacked to death by these Muslim mobs.

Resistance in Jos
The next day, the Christians rallied and stood firm together, resisting the Islamic attacks. More Christians poured in from the surrounding villages, some wearing traditional warrior regalia and brandishing spears, axes and machetes. Vicious hand-to-hand fighting took place on the streets, and many firearms were captured from the Muslims. Some Christians counter-attacked and by the end of the week, over 6000 people had been killed. The Muslims were completely defeated and many were fleeing north. Throughout this conflict the police and army were unseen - barricaded in their barracks.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that the Muslim community had been planning this attack for many months, stockpiling weapons and ammunition. They were looking for a pretext to trigger their assault. The Christian woman walking past the Mosque was seized as an ideal opportunity for them to initiate their attack. What they had not expected was such fierce resistance from the Christians. Many Muslims said that they had never expected the Christians to fight back.

The Christians in Jos related to me numerous examples of the Lord's protection, in answer to prayer. A truck carrying weapons for Muslims crashed outside Jos, spilling and revealing a weapons cache. There have been numerous other Muslim plots which have been exposed.

Christian Courage in Gboko
In Gboko, the Tiv people related to me testimonies of how the Muslim Hausa and Fulani people attacked their homes and churches, burning down entire communities. When the Federal forces were sent in to restore order, they burned even more farms and houses. The units sent were predominantly Muslim and under Muslim control, so rather than restoring order, they joined in the assaults against the Christians, massacring whole villages. In Vaase, 1 200 civilians were killed by these Muslim Federal forces.

In Taraba state, up to 100 churches were destroyed by Muslim mobs. The long-suffering Tiv people also rose up and resisted, fighting back. All this happened in August and September 2002.
Over 80% of the schools in Tivland are owned by the churches. However, none have a Christian curriculum. There is a desperate need for Christian textbooks.

Between Cross and Crescent
Despite the stresses of continual Islamic pressure and persecution, the mature and dynamic Church in Nigeria is standing firm and reaching out vigorously to its Muslim neighbours.

The conflict between the Cross and the Crescent in Nigeria is intensifying. Muslim nations are pouring in vast millions to fund the construction of Mosques, Madressas, Muslim schools and to promote Shari'a Law throughout Nigeria.

The Christians are responding by establishing more churches, and Christian schools and through literature and radio ministry. They need our encouragement, prayers and support. We have the opportunity in Nigeria to not only help the Christians stand firm and resist the Southern encroachments of Islam, but also to roll back the Islamic offensive, winning their enemies to Christ.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest therefore to send out workers into His harvest field." Matthew 9:37

Dr. Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

This article is adapted from a chapter in
Slavery, Terrorism and Islam – The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat (300 pages, 200 pictures) available from:

Christian Liberty Books,
PO Box 358, Howard Place 7450,
Cape Town, South Africa,
tel: 021-689-7478,
email: admin@christianlibertybooks.co.za
and website: www.christianlibertybooks.co.za.

]]><![CDATA[Pray for Christians Under Fire in Nigeria, Sudan and Tunisia]]>Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/nigeria/pray-for-christians-under-fire-in-nigeria-sudan-and-tunisiaBeheaded in Tunisia
Assist News Service has reported on a young male convert to Christianity being beheaded by Islamic militants in Tunisia. Graphic footage filmed in Tunisia was aired on Egypt Today, showing the militants reciting the Quran and chanting Islamic slogans and curses in Arabic, while the "apostate" who had refused to recant his conversion to Christ, was calmly praying before being beheaded. It was not long ago that Tunisia was regarded as the most free and open of all Arab states. The popular support for murdering of Arabs who convert to Christianity, bodes ill for the Arab Spring.

Jihad in Nigeria
At least 15 people were killed and more than 40 seriously injured on Sunday, 3 June, when a Boko Haram suicide bomber drove his car into a checkpoint outside The Living Faith Church in Bauchi. The explosion, which occurred at 9:20am, sent shrapnel through believers who were fellowshipping outside, after the church's first worship service. The explosion also hit the Harvest Field Church only 25m away across the road, causing part of the church building to collapse on worshipers.

Churches Under Siege
Many of the wounded are severely burned and some believers are still unaccounted for amongst the building wreckage. Boko Haram, the Radical Islamic Jihadist terror group has claimed responsibility. Christians in Northern Nigeria are continuing to attend worship services behind barricades and check points, which have been erected to attempt to protect them from the systematic campaign of bombing Christian churches. Muslim mobs continue to raid Christian communities at night. Boko Haram has quoted Surah 7:4: "Our punishment came to them at night, or while they were sleeping at noon."

Day of Prayer
The leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has called for Saturday, 16 June, to be observed as a National Day of Prayer and Fasting for the country, which is increasingly being torn apart by Islamic terrorism.

Genocide Planned for the Nuba
Al-Jazeera television has broadcast footage of the governor of South Kordofan, the indicted war criminal Ahmed Harun, addressing his soldiers before being deployed to the Nuba Mountains: "You must hand over the place clean… swept, rubbed, crushed. Don't bring them back alive! We have no space for them!" The broadcast footage then shows an army commander standing near the governor, declare: "Don't bring them back! Eat them alive!"

Refugees Flee into South Sudan
The medical charity, Doctors Without Borders, reports that up to 4,000 people are fleeing into South Sudan, every day, to escape the fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile Province. They estimate that over 100,000 refugees are already in camps in South Sudan's Upper Nile State. Over 38,000 Nuba refugees have fled across the border from South Kordofan into South Sudan's Unity State. Reportedly the Khartoum government has continued aerial bombardment of refugees and blockade of humanitarian aid reaching the Nuba Mountains. Almost a million Nuban are facing starvation conditions.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…" Proverbs 31:8

"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge…" Hosea 4:6

An Urgent Call for Prayer and ActionPlease join with us in fervent prayer that the sufferings of our Christian brethren become known to the whole world, that the persecutors be exposed, and opposed, and that peace – with justice – be firmly established.

"I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:40

Obtain and promote also:
Faith Under Fire in Sudan (320 pages; 200 pictures) and
Slavery, Terrorism and Islam – The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat (300 pages; 200 pictures), available from:

Christian Liberty Books,
PO Box 358 Howard Place 7450,
Cape Town South Africa,
Tel/Fax: 021-689-7478,
Email:admin@christianlibertybooks.co.za, Website: www.christianlibertybooks.co.za

Those in North America can obtain these resources for the Persecuted from FF-USA:
Frontline Fellowship – USA,
P.O. Box 728 Manitou Springs
CO 80829
USA,
Tel: 719-685-2899

"When justice is done it brings joy to the righteous, but terror to evil doers."

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

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