Nigerian priest shot and sons killed in attack

Reverend Daniel Umaru is still recovering in hospital after he and his family were attacked in his home by armed men, who killed his two sons and kidnapped his daughter (she has since been released). Please pray for the family as they grieve and recover from this attack.   

The attack on Rev. Umaru is the latest of several attacks on priests in northern Nigeria

Earlier this month, gunmen stormed Rev. Umaru’s house in Maraba, Adamawa State, in the early hours of the morning. After the gunmen killed his sons, Fanye and Kefrey, they left, taking Rev. Umaru’s 13-year-old daughter, Ijagla, with them. Praise God, she has since been released.  

Rev. Umaru’s wife went into a coma from the shock, and was taken to hospital with her husband. 

Rev. Umaru leads the Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa (Church of the Brethren) in Njairi, north eastern Nigeria. Fanye and Kefrey were buried a few days after the attack, and although Rev. Umaru was too unwell to attend, his wife was there to see their children laid to rest.  

Your prayers are making a difference  

More attacks have taken place in the weeks prior to the attack on Rev. Umaru. On 4 July, Rev. Fr Emmanuel Silas from St. Charles Catholic Church in Zambina, Kaduna State, was abducted. Rev. Fr Vitus Borogo, also from Kaduna State, was killed and his brother abducted by bandits while working on his farm on 25 June.

Tirham*, a trauma-care giver from Nigeria, is grateful for your prayers. “We’re so grateful for the support we’ve been receiving from you, and for your prayers,” she says. “The work is still large; every day, people are being killed, every day, people are being kidnapped and they go through a lot of things, a lot of trauma. Thank you so much, and God bless.” 

The levels of violent persecution against Christians in northern Nigeria continue to increase – please keep praying for our brothers and sisters there, that God will heal and comfort them, protect them, and renew their strength. 

*Name changed for security reasons