In Nigeria, Islamists kill Protestant pastor after receiving ransom

James Audu Issa, ECWA pastor in Ekati, Nigeria. Photo: Morning Star News

On October 2, 2025, in Kwara State, western Nigeria, the body of Protestant pastor James Audu Issa, who had been abducted in late August from his home in the town of Ekati, was found, Morning Star News reported.

According to sources, the minister of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) was held by Islamist militants from the Fulani tribe, who demanded 100 million naira (about $62,000) for his release. After negotiations, the ransom was reduced to 5 million naira, but after receiving the money, the kidnappers killed the pastor and demanded an additional 45 million.

Church representative Rev. Romanus Ebeneokodi called the killing “a brutal act against a harmless pastor,” while Today’s Challenge editor Ralph Madugu noted that such "targeted attacks" have become part of a systematic persecution of Christians in the country.

According to reports from World Watch List and APPG, Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous countries for Christians: more than 3,000 believers have been killed for their faith within a year. The majority of attacks are carried out by radical Islamist groups, including Fulani militants, Boko Haram, and ISWAP.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Nigeria, Islamists killed nine Christians and wounded eight others.

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