Once Widowed Christian in Nigeria Loses Second Husband to Muslim Extremists

 

After losing her second husband to Muslim extremists, Faith Kore Usman says she is trusting God. (Morning Star News)

 Muslim extremists had once prior widowed Faith Kore Usman, a 29-year-old mother of five children, before Fulani herdsmen killed her second husband on New Year’s Eve.
As 34-year-old Kore Usman and other Christians were praising God in a field near their church building in Maihakorin Gold village, near Bokkos in central Nigeria’s Plateau state on Dec. 31, ethnic Fulani gunmen arrived and shot at the congregation. Besides killing Usman, the assault also killed a 41-year-old mother of six children and a 14-year-old girl.
“I have placed my faith in God and am waiting on Him to comfort me and keep me and these five children,” Usman’s widow told Morning Star News.
She said she and her second husband had been married for nine years.
“My first husband, Davou Philip, was killed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Jol Village in Riyom Local Government Area in 2002,” she said. “I had only a son with him. However, God brought me and Kore Usman together, and we got married. God has blessed us with four children. I thought my burden has been lifted as a widow, and now, again my second husband has been killed by Muslim gunmen.”

Luka Tejan’s wife Naomi was killed in the attack on the congregation. (Morning Star News)

Eyewitnesses said that as the Christians were praising God for his faithfulness in 2013, about five Muslim Fulani gunmen stormed the Christian community at about 9 p.m., shooting at the Christians gathered on the field near their worship auditorium.
The husband of the slain Naomi Tejan, 47-year-old Luka Tejan, also expressed his faith in God to Morning Star News.
“We see these killings of Christians as evil acts aimed at truncating the spread of the gospel in this country,” he said. “The devil has been using these Fulanis to kill Christians. The good thing is that we have hope that in spite of the pains, the suffering and the tears, we shall overcome in Jesus’ name.”
Of the couple’s six children, one is 25 and two are 20-year-old twins. The others are ages 12, 7 and 3.
Usman’s widow called on the gunmen to repent of their unprovoked killing of Christians.
The 14-year-old girl killed was Nandi Jamok, according to the Rev. Danlami Yatu, pastor of COCIN congregation in Maihakorin Gold village, 43 miles (69 kilometers) south of Jos. Twelve other Christians were wounded, he said, identifying them as Marium Random, 35; Tyamol Maram, 14; Uvwat James, 15; Shagul James, 32; Rita James, 8; Yibal Philemon, 8; Mashat Geofrey, 10; Macif Mabul, 17; Alex Yunana, 41; Emmanuel Ishaku, 30; Malo Marium, 50; and Victor Barnabas.

 

“Myself and other members of the elder board of my church were holding a meeting in the church auditorium while our parishioners were outside the church building, on the field, singing and dancing in praise worship, thanking God for his blessings on our lives throughout the year, when suddenly gunmen we believe are Muslim Fulani herdsmen shot at our members and killed the victims,” Yatu said.
It was the fourth attack on the community in the two-plus years that he has served as pastor, he added.
“During the first attack in 2011, the Muslim attackers came here and attacked homes, but they were repelled by security agents,” he said. “So also, another attack was carried out against us in 2012. A member of my church, Alex Yunana, was injured, and our church secretary too, Sunday Mabas, was attacked in his home, but he escaped unhurt miraculously.”
In the third incident, the pastor’s home and that of another church member, Joel Mafyil, were attacked, he said.
“Spirited efforts by our members in repelling the attackers saved us,” Yatu said.
The wounded Christians in the New Year’s Eve attack were being treated in the Plateau Specialist Hospital in Jos and the Barkin Ladi General Hospital, he said.
Hosea Haruna, assistant church secretary for the local congregation, and Jemimah Isaac, a leader of the Women’s Fellowship in the church, told Morning Star News that the 500-member church’s daily Bible study programs and fellowship activities have ceased due to the attack. The church began 22 years ago.
Haruna and Isaac appealed to the Nigerian government to takes measures to end the terrorist attacks not only on their community but against all Christians in northern Nigeria.
Culed from Morning Star News

Bishop Kukah Says N7bn Confab bill is a waste

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, weekend, described the N7billion earmarked for the proposed national conference as a waste of resources, insisting that the exercise would not result in any fundamental difference in the condition of the country.
Bishop Kukah, who was Secretary of the National Political Reform Conference in 2005, also described the planned proposed conference as another forum for political noise-making.
He spoke on the occasion of the signing of Tripartite Partnership Agreement among the American Specialist Hospital Limited, GE Healthcare (USA) and Edifice Capital (France) for the $73 million American Specialist Hospital for Women and Children.
In the 2005 National Political Reform Conference which Bishop Kukah was Secretary, N932 million was proposed by President Olusegun Obasanjo for the conference.
In his reaction to the N7billion proposed by President Goodluck Jonathan for the conference,  Kukah said in an interview with journalists in Abuja:  “N7 billion is just pocket money, it is chicken fee by Nigerian standard, considering how much money have been stolen from this country.
“Frankly, even if they are going to commit N10 billion for people to stay in hotels in Nigeria, the money is not the issue, building a nation is a serious matter.

 Culled from Vanguard Newspaper

Celebrating Household of God at 27

Today, February 2, 2014 is the 27th anniversary of the founding of our church, The Household of God, and I bless God Almighty for the plenitudes of His grace that has kept me going. It has not been easy but the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ made light the burden of leading, preaching and teaching God’s people about the engrafted word that is able to save a dying world.
It is indeed a rare privilege and honour for which my gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ cannot possibly be expressed in words. Over the course of my gospel career, I have come to realise that ministry is all about service, really. It is probably the best nursery and training ground for leaders in any sphere of human endeavour. It is in ministry that the complex problems of humanity stare you in the face.  You encounter circumstances that only God could handle because of their sheer complexity and bizarre nature.
My career as a successful recording artiste did not prepare me for the  task of leading a church when I stepped out on February 1, 1987, to  start The Household of God International Ministries in my sitting room  at Obasa street, Ikeja, Lagos. I had no preaching experience; never served under any minister before or had a strong grounding in scripture other than my one-year stint at the Bible College of His Grace Fellowship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, where I had gone for formal  ministerial training.
So, to the carnal mind, it was a big gamble; a high risk venture to go into, without the benefit of a cognate experience or financial capacity. I was the last person anyone expected to mount the pulpit at the time I did because of my pedigree as a popular music star with huge following nationwide. The phenomenal success of “I Need Someone”, my debut album, gave me an unprecedented fan base and immediately put me in the spotlight as a folk hero. How my teeming fans would accept my new career as a pastor created its own conflict in the public
consciousness. That was an image issue I had to contend with for many years.
To a large extent, this controversy helped a great deal in giving my new ministry the needed momentum and publicity it required to take-off sensationally. It is in God’s character to use the least qualified to do a great job, by qualifying them supernaturally. Though inexperienced, God provided the wisdom; His grace supplied my needs and His mercies forgave my inadequacies as I took those first initial steps on a journey that has stretched these 27 long years. To God be the glory and honour.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing, if it was, God wouldn’t be in it. God indeed uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. He really helped me to cope with the transition from a pop star to a preacher. It was to be expected that the hoopla and show business coverage, with its gossip, colour and controversy would follow me into the ministry. Initially, the crowd out there didn’t take me seriously.
But as my teachings began to make an impact, an implosion took place in our church, which reflected in our rapid growth. The turning point came when Apocalipsis, the telecast of my teaching, debuted on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).  With the ministry now on television, sceptics realised this was serious business.
In our church, we do things differently. For those who attend our service for the first time, a culture shock awaits them, even to this day, and it is because no two callings or ministries are the same. 
Moreover, the character of a pastor invariably reflects on the congregation. We are a one-branch church because that’s what Jesus Christ asked me to do. Our church is structured in a unique way that enables me to fulfil my commission. We have no template other than the one the Lord Jesus gave  me, that is why we are the way we are; just as Apostle Paul says, “...by  the grace of God, I am what I am”. Isn’t it a coincidence that God introduced Himself as I AM to Moses!
For me, therefore, running a church ministry acquaints you with the fundamentals that you need to run a nation. How? A church, with its diverse ethnic groups composed of men and women, children and adults with various levels of education and mindset, is a microcosm of a  nation. Anyone who is able to run a church successfully must have weathered all the types of storms associated with political leadership, even at the highest level of governance.
As a pastor, you’d have to cope with intrigues, betrayals by trusted  associates, threats of pulverisation energised by Satan; financial  challenges, domestic upheavals, issues of economics, ministry  politics, envy, rivalries, competition, you name it! That sounds familiar to veteran politicians, I guess. I’ve had to go through all of that at huge cost to my reputation and public image. But thank God for His grace that has kept the vision alive and well.
However, despite all we’ve accomplished in the ministry and through my monumental book, The Last Outcast, which revealed the Anti-Christ, it is my forays into elective politics by the leading of the Holy Spirit, which for me, is the high point of my entire life.
This is because my political assignment is an expression of the Melchezedek Priesthood epitomised by the Lord Jesus who is both a King (political leader) and priest (spiritual leader). This is the biblical basis of my political assignment. At the initial stage of the venture, most people, including leaders in the body of Christ in this country who criticised me for my nascent bi-vocational career, had not come to that understanding. But thank God, the perception is changing gradually. I bear the brunt of hostile reaction for my pioneering role as a pastor-politician in good faith.
Finally, Nigeria figures in the plan of God for the end times. Our country is a client nation of Almighty God. There’re men of destiny that have been placed here and given specific mandate to carry out God’s divine plan for our country. And I say without fear of contradiction that I am one of such people. That’s why I took on the prophetic title appellation of the Prince of Nigeria. It defines everything I am doing on the political front. It is not an ambition but a mission.
 Reverend Chris Okotie writes from Lagos.
Culled from Tribune Newspaper

B’Haram kills 74 in church, village

Boko Haram insurgents on Sunday evening attacked another  village in Borno  State,   killing a soldier and 51 other persons.

About 16 others, including policemen  and traders, were injured  while  300 houses were  set ablaze  by the insurgents  in Kawuri, Konduga Local Government Area of the state.

Another  set of the Boko Haram fighters,   armed with guns and explosives, had earlier on Sunday  killed 22 people at a  church service in  Waga Chakawa, Adamawa State.

The Kawuri  village  attackers were said to have planted several explosives in  the community  after attacking the nearby weekly market as  traders  were busy getting ready to close their stalls.

An eyewitness said those who sustained  varying degrees of burns were rushed to the Konduga General Hospital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for treatment.

Bulama Kuliri,  a resident of the village, told  journalists that the attack lasted for more than four hours.

He said, “I believe more than 50 people were  killed in the attack because the whole village  was  razed by the Boko Haram  people.   There were   loud explosions from different directions  and dead  bodies littered  many parts  of  the village.”

Another eyewitness, Ari Kolomi, told the Associated Press that “no house in the village was left standing.”

“The gunmen were more than 50 and they were using explosives and heavy-sounding guns,” he added.

A soldier said two more improvised explosive devices exploded  early on Monday morning, narrowly missing security personnel who were  busy collecting corpses.

One of the police officers  that evacuated  the  wounded victims, also confirmed that at least 52 people were killed and 16  injured.

The state Police Commissioner, Lawan Tanko, confirmed the attack but said he was awaiting details on casualties.

A protocol officer in  the Government House told journalists that Governor Kashim Shettima was advised   to cancel his “planned visit” to the community  because “the military  were  still conducting an operation in the area.”

Shettima later met behind closed doors  with military and police officers in the state over the incident.

In Waga Chakawa, witnesses told Reuters that insurgents  set off bombs and fired into the congregation in the Catholic Church  in a village in Adamawa State.

They  said the insurgents also  burnt  houses and took  residents hostage during  the four-hour siege.

The spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Yola, Rev. Father Raymond Danbouye, said those killed were buried at a funeral on Monday.

In  the last one week, over 100 persons have been killed in attacks  by  members of the terror group. These attacks, according to the United Nations, led to 6,000 persons fleeing to neighbouring countries like Cameroon and Niger Republic. On  January 14  for instance, a car bomb exploded in Maiduguri, killing about 70 people. Communities  like  Kwaljiri, Kaya, Ngawo Fate, Limanti, Njaba, Yahuri, Mude, Wala and Alau in the Damboa, Konduga and Gwoza Local Government Areas have all been sacked by the  terrorists.

“ I Never Imagined I Would Be A Pastor’s Wife – Liz Benson Bares It All”

She is one of the most talented and gracious actresses to have come out of the Nigerian movie industry. Liz Benson rode the movie industry from the 90s like a colossus.
Having featured in countless of movies, the beautiful thespian and mother was one of those that made the Nollywood brand what it is today. Now a minister of God and married to Bishop Great Ameye of Freedom Family Assembly in 2009, Liz spoke to SAMUEL ABULUDE on her new world of reaching souls for God, meeting her hubby and her new movie project.
How is Liz Benson-Ameye doing?
To God be the Glory. My husband has made the home comfortable for me. But the joy of people coming to you and saying pastor this is what is going on, this is what is happening and I counsel them with the word of God and they put it to practise. Oh my God, it gives me joy! And I tell them when you are doing well, when you are prospering, when you have answers to questions, I’m filled with joy. I’m fulfilled serving people and changing lives. Apart from these when you are filled with God and God is working in your life and you are in total obedience to God your maker, the assurance in heaven is something you can’t quantify. For me, I’m very comfortable with it.
Did you ever imagine being a pastor’s wife?
I tell you what? No one knows what tomorrow holds for him or her. I carried the heart of someone that wants to serve God but I never thought it will turn out this way. In 2001, I was in a thanksgiving service at Faith Foundation Church, made a testimony and I left although I had the mind of a minister of the gospel then. Bishop Sam Amaga and his wife came to my house one day and said, ‘Do you know there is a call of God in your life?’ I looked at them and responded, ‘God has made those he wants to use and I don’t think I’m part of them.’ I found out later that many of the servants of God that God wants to use never said I want to be this, I want to be that.
But they just find out that the more you love God, the more you get closer to him, God will want to use you and qualify you for his work. And for someone like me, you just find out that God moves you from place to place. I was just preaching in places like Allen Avenue back then. Two ladies saw me then and bore witness of my early days preaching around the place. One of them who acted in Twinkle sometime ago reminded me when she saw me at the airport sometime ago. She said she remembered that I came to her shop at Emporium Plaza at Allen, Ikeja to preach to her customers. So I used to do that a lot in those days when God started with me.
So how did you meet your husband, Bishop Ameye?
God did it. It was by divine arrangement. God was speaking through many people just like he used the donkey in the Bible. God used different witnesses to guide me. I was there waiting and he was there also waiting. I never expected such. And even after we met and he proposed, I still was running (She laughs). I still was running and where I was running to, a woman of God stopped me and asked me where I was running to. ‘You are running from your husband?’ The things of God eh, they are such that if you run from it, it doesn’t make it go away. When God takes a hold of you and you run away from it a million times, he will still ask you to do the assignment. The calling of God is such that you will have to surrender and all that.
How fulfilling are you now compared to your days as an actress?
I can’t put it in a box. I can’t really describe how it feels now but it is one of the most fulfilling times of my life. Being available to God, to humanity and doing something that is touching lives. In one way or another, you are investing in the lives of people and seeing that effect on them is most fulfilling. Doing what pleases your maker is fulfilling both to you and God. You may not have the billions but God has his own reward system and it surpasses the way of the world. God is most gracious and most sufficient.
Did you ever see yourself different from being a star actress?
Let me put it this way, a lot see the other side of me as a celebrity, star actress but two people that I call friends knew that I was always close to God. They knew Liz Benson as that kind of a person. In all the parties, I always go out and excuse myself to pray. We gather here, I live whatever we are doing to pray. So, it’s been like that for me. I know it couldn’t go on for a very long time. I had to do things my own way not conforming to their standards.
I think that was why my friends saw me a bit strange because I couldn‘t do certain things and fit into some area of our activities. And there are so many of us like that. There are a lot of people who are hiding under the cover of activities, showbiz and all that but they know that they have a personal relationship with God and are hiding this. But I know God will catch up with them the way He did to me.
Between yesterday’s Nollywood and today’s Nollywood, how will you rate it?
We now have the wherewithal, the financial wherewithal; some of the equipment we have now we never had before. When I look at the directing, even the editing, I feel that a thorough job is done. The directors are doing well. In terms of movie production, there is still a lot of infrastructure that we don’t have yet.
What attracted you to be part of the Living Funeral movie?
The movie is about breast cancer and it is a disease that its awareness has not reached home yet. I have been in a situation where the people are very religious and they talk about which side of the bed they slept last night. And I called someone, ‘let them check her blood pressure. It was 200 over! I told her, mama what you need is rest.’ Another woman came to me and she had pain in her breast. Immediately, I swung into action and this was before I became involved in this project. I took her to the teaching hospital so that they could find out what was wrong with her.
I told her not to deceive them and tell them exactly what was wrong with her. And they operated on her and now she is living well. She came in about three years ago to thank me. ‘Mama I thank God for you oh. Ignorance fit kill me person oh.’ If not that I was involved in her life, maybe we will be saying something else. So it’s not just preaching the word, preaching the word, preaching the word.
But being able to reach out to people and save lives. And things like this movie project, Living Funeral, are also a means by which I can reach people and impact lives. So I’ve not gone out of acting completely. It’s just that when you have a ministry, we are all gifted in different ways and when things like this come. It is something that makes me to do a lot of good to my fellow brethren and women especially.
So when situations like this happen it is not only the patient or victim of cancer that suffers it but the whole family, the whole community. So, I’m here to promote a worthy cause. If I say something here, I mean it and when my assistance is needed to propagate a just cause, I will gladly do……………

Culled from NAIJ BLOG ONLINE

Preachers' Angle: Characteristics Of A Good Preacher

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12: Characteristics Of A Good Preacher

John R. Gibson
Conyers, Georgia

No one should ever begin to preach the gospel without an awareness of the responsibility involved. In his letters to Timothy, Paul seeks to impress upon his young friend the importance of guarding both his life and his doctrine from reproach (1 Tim. 4:11-16). Are those of us preaching the gospel today examples in word, in conduct, in love, etc.? Do we know what qualities characterize such a man? In seeking to take heed to myself and my doctrine, I have been helped by a consideration of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. Specifically, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 reveals characteristics of a good preacher (or Bible class teacher, personal worker, etc.) which all of us would do well to consider. Please take the time to read these verses before proceeding further. Bold (2:2) Opposition and adversity must not silence the preacher of God. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that before arriving in Thessalonica he had been beaten and imprisoned at Philippi (Acts 16). Did persecution produce in Paul a hesitancy to preach or a watered down gospel? By no means: "We were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict." Let us all preach and teach with the same boldness, for "God has not given us a spirit of fear" (2 Tim. 1:7). Certain Of His Convictions (2:3) Paul could be bold in the face of opposition because he was certain that his exhortation did not come from deceit or error. Here was a man certain of what he believed and why he believed it. There is great danger when a man begins to preach without being certain of the source of his convictions. Many a pulpit has been filled by one whose faith was his father's and whose sermon was straight from an outline book. Godly parents are a blessing and outline books can be helpful, but it is imperative that our convictions come from God and not man. That necessitates studying the word for ourselves and thereby developing a faith that is our own (Rom. 10:17). Without Guile (2:3) Paul makes a claim that some gospel preachers could not make he claims that he did not try to use trickery, deceit or guile to make converts. If not careful, we may become so number conscious that we use ploys designed to have people baptized before they realize what is happening. Converts must be taught of God (Jn. 6:44f) and not tricked by a slick salesman. Not A Crowd-Pleaser, But A God-Pleaser (2:4) Paul always behaved himself properly when working with brethren (1 Thess. 2: 10); he was willing to forego his rights for the sake of the gospel (1 Cor. 9); he urged the brethren at Rome to be tolerant and seek to please one another (Rom. 14:1-15:7; esp. 15:2); in short, Paul did his best to get along well with others. But even though he sought good relations with others, at the same time, he realized that he must first please God. It is wonderful when we are able to please both God and man, but it cannot always be that way and, like Paul, we must make it a priority to please God first. Preaching the truth on divorce and remarriage, decency of dress and other unpopular subjects will likely please few men, but preaching the whole counsel of God will please the One we should desire to please. "For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10). Avoiding Flattery (2:5) While it is true that Paul frequently used sincere praise and commendation in his teaching efforts, he never resorted to empty flattery that appealed to a man's pride. Never forget that the gospel must first humble a man before he can be exalted. Proper teaching will show a person that the church does not need him, but rather, he desperately needs the Lord. Not Covetous (2:5) When Paul went to Thessalonica, it was not a move motivated by thoughts of monetary gain. Though the Philippians sent him some help (Phil. 4:15f), Paul still had to work with his own hands in order to preach there (1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:7-9), for he would not allow or require the Thessalonians to support him lest he be accused of covetousness. In this day when preachers are generally well paid, it can be a real temptation to become flattering men pleasers unwilling to risk losing financial support because of controversial preaching. Some resort to guile or whatever is necessary to gain "converts" so that the offering can be increased. The solution to such a problem is not discontinuing the support of gospel preachers (a scriptural practice - 1 Cor. 9:14), but having both the preacher and the church realize that no matter who signs the check the preacher must be a servant of God and not a hireling of the church. Churches should desire that the one laboring with them preach in such a way as to please God and not those providing his support. And remember: good preaching will not be enough to get a covetous man into heaven (1 Cor. 6:9f). Balanced One of the greatest challenges a preacher faces is maintaining a balanced approach in his teaching. This study has focused so far on strength, courage, boldness, etc. and there are some who seem to specialize in these characteristics. On the other hand, there are those who seem to manifest only the gentleness that is seen in the remainder of our study. What we need are men who are able to blend the two. Remember that it was possible for the same apostle to claim boldness and yet admit to the gentleness of a nursing mother. Gentle (2:6f) Paul and his companions did not arrive in town making the type of demands an apostle might be expected to make. (Some preachers I know would do well to read 1 Thess. 2:6 before their next gospel meeting.) They did not seek glory from men, but instead were as gentle as a mother nursing her children (NKJV & NASB). Boldness and gentleness are often difficult to combine, but we must make every effort to do so. Boldness does not justify ugliness; gentleness does not necessitate weakness. Giving Of Self (2:8f) Why did the preaching of Paul and his companions have a great impact on so many towns? It may well have been the fact that Paul, Silas and Timothy offered more than the gospel - they offered themselves. If we would make those whom we seek to teach "dear to us" we would probably be more effective in our presentation. Preaching the gospel can never become simply a profession; it must be our very life itself. Our attitude must be: "I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls" (2 Cor. 12:15). Blameless In Conduct (2:10) Many can offer firsthand testimony regarding the damage done to a church when a preacher (or any other teacher) does not live in a manner consistent with his teaching. Paul, Silas and Timothy may not have met with great success everywhere they preached, but their work was never destroyed by their own wickedness. Right or wrong, people always judge the conduct of preachers more strictly and we need to be careful lest we destroy the effectiveness of our preaching by careless conduct. (Parents should also take a lesson from Paul and realize that they cannot teach their children to do things that they themselves are unwilling to do.) Behaving Like A Loving Father (2:10-12) Like a father with his children, Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to walk properly before God. A good father teaches his children out of concern for them; he points out that obedience is for their own good. We must not be afraid to reprove and rebuke (2 Tim. 4:2), but it should be the kind of rebuke that a father concerned for the welfare of his children might offer. Let us make certain that when we reprove and correct, it is as one with fatherly love and not a vengeful malice. The preaching of the gospel is a great work and there is always a need for more men who will follow the example of Paul (who followed Jesus). May God help us to become brave, fearless, truthful and frank, but at the same time, loving and gentle.

B’Haram militants cut church members’ throats – Bishop

“Some people tried to escape through the windows and the attackers shot at them. They cut peoples’ throats.”

This was how the Catholic Bishop of Yola, Mamza   Stephen, captured the calamity that befell worshippers  at a Catholic church in Waga Chakawa in Adamawa State when Boko Haram insurgents struck on Sunday morning.

Stephen  told the  British Broadcasting Corporation that he heard from the survivors that insurgents   arrived the village  on trucks and locked the church “towards the end of the service.”

According to him, the  militants set off bombs, before burning houses and taking residents hostage during  the  four-hour siege.

He added that   death toll in the  Waga Chakawa attack  was  30 and not 22 as widely reported.

“Everybody is living in fear.  There is no protection. We cannot predict where and when they are going to attack. People can’t sleep with their eyes closed,” he lamented.

In  Kawuri village in Borno State, the story was the same as a 46-year- old grandmother, Rabi Mallam, narrated how another band of insurgents set her hut on fire on Sunday evening.

She said when she heard gunshots from every direction in the community, she rushed into her hut and hid herself with her son and granddaughter.

“I covered the children with heavy blanket soaked in water, but the fire still burnt us. I cried for the children because they were calling me to take them out, but I could not,” she said.

Although  Mallam and  the children (her son and granddaughter), survived  with serious burns, many others were not as lucky as they died in the fire set on over  300 houses in the village by the insurgents.

As of Tuesday, the death toll in the  Kawuri village attack  had risen to 85.

Eyewitnesses had on Monday said that 52 people were slaughtered by the insurgents  during the Kawuri  attack.

Kawuri villagers,who were  preparing for the burial of two newly-discovered bodies when   Governor  Kashim Shettima  visited them, said they had buried  83 corpses.

They also lamented that seven of their mosques were set ablaze, while their Imam was also killed by the insurgents.

They added that 50 persons that were injured were still hospitalised while  16 others  were missing.

The villagers explained that some of the victims were burnt to ashes, while six others  were beyond recognition.

They said they were helpless and confused as it appeared that the assailants came well  prepared to destroy their village.

Konduga Council Secretary, Alhaji Ali Yale, said the sect members  came in 26 vehicles, two Armoured Personnel  Carriers  and six Toyota  Hilux vans painted  in army  colours.

A councillor in Kawuri, Dala Lawan, told PUNCH Metro that about 50 persons with serious bullet and fire   wounds  were on admission in three different hospitals in the state.

Lawan said, “We have been searching and burying corpses since yesterday (Monday). The first burial was for 83 persons, but more corpses are still being picked in the bushes. We have found two more corpses. So with  the two,    the death toll  has risen  85 for now.”

The head of the Civilian JTF in the village, Lawan Mustapha, said the  insurgents spoke    Kanuri and Hausa languages and seemed to know the village very well.

Mustapha said the Imam of  the central mosque was killed by his own student (an Almajiri), who was later discovered  to be a member of the sect.

In one of the hospitals, our correspondent observed some women, children and old  men with burns  writhing  in pains.

In the hospital,  Mallam, who had second degree burns, said herself,  son and granddaughter were hiding inside their  room when the gunmen set their home on fire.

She said, “We ran inside the house for fear of being hit by  bullets that were fired by the attackers, but they  set our house ablaze.

“I and the two kids could not come out because they were still shooting indiscriminately. We were in the house for hours before they left, thinking we were dead.”

A newly-married couple, who said they lost everything, were among the villagers seen  leaving Kawuri on Tuesday.

The governor, who was apparently shocked at the level of destruction, directed the immediate rebuilding of the burnt mosques and market.

Shettima, who  also promised to assist the victims to rebuild their houses, gave the families that lost their  loved ones N250,000 each.

Culled from Punch Newspaper