On June 28, a Muslim mob in the town of Izom in the Nigerian state of Niger overwhelmed police and clubbed a woman to death for participating in street evangelism. News reports claim that the woman was between eighteen and twenty years of age.
According to reports, the unidentified woman met with a group of Muslim youth outside of the Jumat Mosque in Izom and shared the Gospel with them and gave them some tracts to read. When Muslim leaders learned what she had been doing, they were outraged and claimed that she had insulted Islam and Mohammed and should be killed. Hundreds of Muslims began looking for the woman. When they found her, they began to beat her but police took her into protective custody. The mob threatened to destroy the police station if she was not turned over to them. As police attempted to smuggle her out a back door, their actions were discovered. The police fled and the woman was clubbed and stoned to death. At least two police officers were injured in the attack. Several arrests have been made and the investigation is on-going.
Pray that, in the midst of their grief, this woman's family and friends will hold to the comfort of knowing that they will be with their loved one at the Christ's return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Pray that the authorities will have the boldness to address this matter in a way that brings about true justice. Pray also that this incident will not result in further violence in the community but that the persecution would result in the furtherance of the gospel of peace (Philippians 1:12).
For more information on persecution in Nigeria, click here. A video report on the persecution facing Christians in Nigeria is available on VOMC's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/.
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