Nigeria - Gunmen kill pastor at home


Suspected extremists shot and killed a pastor at his home in Maiduguri in Borno state, north-east Nigeria.
Pastor Baba Ali Samari, a 57-year-old leader in the Good News Church, was attacked in the Mafoni area of the city on Monday evening, according to Release partner Stefanos Foundation.
Gunmen, widely suspected to be from the Islamist Boko Haram group, are believed to have followed him home from his small shop where he repaired watches.
Neighbours said that Pastor Baba had been threatened by Boko Haram earlier this year. The group, which is believed to have a hideout in the Mafoni area, said they would kill the pastor unless he left his home in Mafoni – warnings he had chosen to ignore.
Boko Haram has been widely blamed for a gun attack on Deeper Life Bible Church in Kogi state, central Nigeria, on the same evening (Prayer Alert, August 8). Associated Press news agency estimates that the number of people killed by the group this year alone now stands at more than 660.