Pastor Killed on Way to Church as Plateau State Attacks Leave Nine Dead

A Christian pastor has been killed while travelling to church in Nigeria’s Plateau State during a fresh outbreak of violence that left at least nine people dead across several communities.

Pastor Samuel Nandi was reportedly travelling to Sunday worship at Dorowa Babuje when he and another person were killed.

His son was also shot and was taken to hospital for treatment, according to New Telegraph.

The attack was one of several reported across Barkin Ladi, Riyom and neighbouring communities between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

In another incident, five passengers travelling towards Gana-Ropp were killed.

Further deaths brought the reported toll from the latest violence to at least nine.

A Pastor Who Never Reached Church

For Pastor Nandi and his family, the violence interrupted the most ordinary expression of Christian life.

He was going to church.

Instead, he was killed before he arrived, while his son was reportedly left wounded.

Plateau State has endured repeated episodes of deadly violence affecting rural communities, including communities with substantial Christian populations.

But there is an important distinction to make about this particular attack.

The reporting currently available does not establish that Pastor Nandi was targeted because he was a Christian or because he was travelling to church.

Nor has the identity or motivation of his attackers been conclusively established in the available reporting.

Those facts matter.

Violence against a Christian is not automatically anti-Christian persecution. Establishing religious persecution requires evidence that someone’s faith, religious identity or activity was a reason they were targeted.

There is no need to make that claim here.

The Christian human cost is serious enough.

A pastor set out for Sunday worship and never arrived. His son was reportedly shot. Elsewhere, other families were mourning loved ones after another deadly weekend in Plateau State.

For the congregation expecting Pastor Samuel Nandi at church that Sunday, a journey to worship ended instead in grief.

Sources

• New Telegraph