Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) “is directly affected by what the President [Joel Billi] described as ‘EYN devastation,’” reported EYN head of media Zakariya Musa.
“The yet to be known gun men killed two of Rev. Daniel’s children, a 16-year-old daughter was kidnapped, and he was shot in the leg,” Musa wrote about the attack that took place on pastor Daniel Umaru and his family in early July. “The murdered children were aged 18 and 19. Their mother was rushed to hospital in a traumatic situation.”
A few days after the attack, and after a ransom was paid, the kidnapped girl was released.
The pastor’s sons, Kefrey Daniel and Faye Daniel, were buried on July 8 at EYN headquarters in Kwarhi.
The attack took place at the pastor’s home. Musa noted that it happened after a special offering for the pastor at EYN’s Njairi church, in the Mubi area of Adamawa State, “a few meters away from a military checkpoint and two weeks away from the murder of a 22-year-old EYN ICT student, Abraham Ali at Dzakwa,” Musa wrote.
He described the situation as, “very disturbing, as tears continue to flow, pushing many to ask ‘Why?’”
The event garnered significant media attention both in Nigeria and internationally. It has been followed by additional armed attacks on individuals in Adamawa State, including a lawmaker, Ishaya Bakano of Song Local Government Council, who was killed in his home in the community of Bannga, and Yohanna Mbudai Bzegu, an engineering teacher at Adamawa State Polytechnic, who was killed at his home in the Girei area.