Pastor Yakubu Shuaibu Kwala, who served a congregation of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) in the Biu area of Borno State in northeast Nigeria, was killed on April 4 in a night-time attack on his home by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The attackers shot and wounded his pregnant wife, who was taken to hospital for treatment. The pastor also is survived by another child.
Please pray… For all those in EYN who are grieving the recent deaths of pastors and church leaders, and for the families and congregations of those who have died. Please pray for peace and the end of terrorist violence in Nigeria.
Shuaibu was a graduate of Kulp Theological Seminary, reported Zakariya Musa, head of Media for EYN. His burial took place in his hometown of Dzangwala in Adamawa State, said EYN leader Salamatu Billi, as reported in The Morning Star News (find the full article at https://morningstarnews.org/2023/04/iswap-kills-pastor-herdsmen-slaughter-134-christians-in-nigeria).
“Please let us all pray for his wife’s recovery, for God to comfort his entire family, and for the church of God and ministers of the church working in the danger zones of Borno and Adamawa States,” Billi told the newspaper. “The hunt for Christians, especially ministers serving in the church, by terrorists in northeast Nigeria continues. This is the third EYN pastor to be killed in cold blood within a short time by these terrorists.”
Musa reported that, in addition, “EYN is bereaved over the death of Mr. Silas Ishaya, the first to hold the office and serve at the EYN Headquarters as the director of Audit and Documentation for eight years. He died on April 21 at the age of 51. He was one of the committed staff and awarded for his outstanding diligence to service.
“He was buried the same day with another pastor, Joshua Drambi, who worked at EYN DCC [church district] Mubi and LCC [local congregation] Samunaka,” wrote Musa, who also reported to Newsline the death of retired pastor Danladi Dankwa in the area of Michika.
At the burial service for Ishaya, EYN president Joel S. Billi told the mourners: “We are bereaved, but we are not devastated because the Lord is with us.”
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