Update: Rev Lawan Andimi Executed by Boko Haram
It is with great sadness that we report that Reverend Lawan Andimi, the Adamawa state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has been executed by Boko Haram militants after he was kidnapped on January 3rd.
The news of his execution was broken by exiled journalist Ahmed Salkida and confirmed by CAN. One CAN leader, Bishop Dami Mamza, told reporters ransom negotiations were in the works with the terrorists, but ultimately broke down. “They called his wife last week, informing her that they will be beheading him on Saturday, but somehow, they waited till Monday,” Maza said.
The president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Samson Ayokunle, described the killing as gruesome, unfortunate and a shame on the federal government.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned such violence and urged Nigerians not to let themselves be divided along religious lines.
“We should, under no circumstance, let the terrorists divide us by turning Christians against Muslims because these barbaric killers don’t represent Islam and millions of other law-abiding Muslims around the world,” he said in a statement.
CAN spokesperson Bayo Oladeji spoke to the International Center for Investigative Reporting about Rev. Lawan’s violent death: “It is pathetic and painful to learn that such a gentleman could be killed like a ram,” Oladeji said, adding that CAN would release an official statement this week.
Reverend Lawan leaves behind a wife and 9 children.
Please join us in praying for Rev Lawan’s wife and children at this very difficult time. May they experience God’s loving comfort at this time of grief.
Please pray for Rev Lawan’s testimony and love for the Lord dispel the darkness of fear and hatred the extremists hope to spread.
Please pray for those in positions of leadership in the church in Nigeria to be strengthened.
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January 8, 2020
We request for your fervent prayers for Pastor Lawan Andimi, a senior member of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who has been kidnapped by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in northeastern Adamawa State.
The pastor was taken during a January 3 raid on Michika, a key town on the Cameroon border. Soon after, Boko Haram released a video of Pastor Lawan calling authorities to secure his release. In the six-minute video, the pastor told his family not to “sorrow for him, since God’s will must be respected.”
“By the grace of God, I will be together with my wife and children and colleagues… don’t cry, don’t worry, but thank God for everything.”
Boko Haram fighters entered Michika on Sunday in a convoy of vehicles. A military jet circled over the town, causing the militants to hide in people’s homes.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Monday (6 January) called on the federal government to take all necessary steps to secure the release of CAN’s chairman in Adamawa state, Rev. Lawan Andimi, as well as other Christian hostages still held by Boko Haram.
This attack comes a week after Boko Haram attacked a Christian village in Borno State near Chibok on Christmas eve, killing seven and taking a teenage girl—the second attack on the village in 2019.
Please pray for Pastor Lawan and his family. Pray for extraordinary grace and peace in the midst of the storm. Pray that God will fulfill His purposes for this family and that Pastor Lawan’s testimony would have far-reaching effect. Pray for wisdom and diligence for the government and swift action to secure Pastor Lawan’s release.
