A pastor and his family were attacked in their home by a village mob while they waited for police to show up for a prearranged meeting. The family had filed a complaint with police after four Christians who attended a prayer meeting in their house were harassed.

The four Christians were leaving the evening of prayer on May 11, when they were confronted by about 30 people. The mob told them, “This is our village — you don’t belong here!” They also strictly warned the Christians never to come back to the village for prayer meetings, and told them if they did, they’d be assaulted.

The next morning, the pastor who hosted the meeting went to the police station file a complaint. Police asked the pastor to meet them at his home at 4 p.m. They also asked the four Christians who were accosted to attend the meeting.

The police were late. As the Christians waited, they heard a public announcement calling the villagers to a public meeting. Shortly afterward, 150 people surrounded the pastor’s home and began shouting, calling out slurs against the Christians. The family immediately called the police, who told them they were on their way.

Around 5:30, about 40 people from the mob broke through the security fence surrounding the house. Taking poles from the fence, they smashed the pastor’s van. Others poured into the home and attacked those inside, including the pastor’s wife.

The pastor was knocked unconscious with a blow to the back of his neck with a pole. Suddenly afraid that they’d killed him, the crowd immediately fled. The police arrived 10 minutes after the crowd was gone. They took the Christians to the police station, where they were held for questioning for seven hours. Their attackers were neither questioned nor arrested.

The pastor spent four days in the hospital recovering, and three others were hospitalized for two days.

The Christians filed a case against their attackers two weeks later. When the case was heard on May 29, a magistrate reprimanded the police and instructed that all the attackers be arrested immediately.

Sri Lanka, a small country located to the south of India, is largely Buddhist, with just 1 percent evangelical Christians throughout the country. The country’s constitution guarantees the freedom of religion, but Christians face persecution at the hands of militant Buddhists who do not want them in their villages and think all Sri Lankans should be Buddhist.

More Attacks in Gwoza Target “Radicals for Jesus”

Dozens of Christians in the village of Attagara, Nigeria, were killed in two separate attacks carried out by Boko Haram militants on June 1 and 3. Militants dressing in army clothing shot and slashed people while bombing and burning homes. One of the assaults lasted for more than five hours.

Early Sunday morning on June 1, the church in Attagara, located in the Gwoza local government area, had already begun its regular worship service when more than 100 Islamic militants, some dressed in the combat fatigues worn by Nigeria’s army, stormed the church building. Chanting “Allahu Akbar!” (God is great), the Boko Haram militants shot over fifty people, killing 27. Those who tried to escape were chased down by the fighters.

Several Christians ran from the scene to a military checkpoint almost two miles down the road to ask for help. However, Nigerian army personnel were not able to respond. Meanwhile, the Boko Haram rebels were moving from home to home in the Attagara, burning down houses and killing anyone in their way, including small children.

A group of young men in the village took matters in their own hands, and armed with sticks, bows and arrows, they decided to fight back against the militants. Clergy and church elders tried to stop the vigilantes, who killed seven of the attackers.

Situated in Borno state, Attagara is a small village in Gwoza, a local government area (similar to a county). The Boko Haram movement is headquartered in Borno state. VOM contacts described Attagara as a unique Christian community with over 7,000 believers and a small percentage of non-Christians and Muslims. Another 3,500 Christians live in nearby villages. The Christians in the area were so faithful that area Muslims called them “Radicals for Christ.”

A Revenge Attack

On June 3, just two days after the first attack, Boko Haram drove through the village at 7:30 a.m. disguised as members of the army and called people to the church for a security briefing. Instead, the 45 people who gathered in the church were gunned down. None survived.

Immediately afterward, hundreds of insurgents came over the hills to raid the village. They killed anyone they saw, including pregnant women and small children. One witness saw a group of about 30 women and children being rounded up. As the women tried to shelter the children, the insurgents demanded that the children come forward. They slaughtered 17 boys.

The insurgents also raided surrounding villages, reducing them to ashes. Churches were bombed and explosive devices set to destroy Christian homes and public buildings. Dozens of Christians were killed as they tried to escape into the hills to try to hide in caves.

The attack lasted for over five hours. Afterward, it was uncertain how many people were killed, and how many were kidnapped. Though these attacks have been occurring with frightening frequency in Gwoza, this attack struck a deep nerve. VOM’s medical coordinator in Nigeria broke down in tears when he heard how the 17 children were killed. He and the team are working to provide medical attention for those that were injured in the attack.