By Landon Nayoan –
He woke up to the sound of gunshots to find his wife lying on the ground in agony. She had been shot.
“She was crying and crying,” recalls pastor Josiah. “She kept saying, ‘I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying.’”
On Nov. 28, 2022, in northern Nigeria, pastor Josiah and his family were attacked by Fulani terrorists. His wife was killed, and he was kidnapped along with his children.
“I was taken and laid on the floor of the compound,” says Josiah. “Then they went into the house and brought out our children.”
Josiah believes the Fulanis, who are Muslims, attacked them because they’re Christian.
Josiah and his kids were ridiculed for their commitment to Christ.
“They gathered the women to read the Quran,” Josiah recalls. “They said we should join them and serve their god.”
Since nobody came forward to pay ransome, the Fulanis killed the sons, Jonathan and Timothy. A third son, Rowland, survived with his father.
It wasn’t a blessing that would last. Later in 2025, he was killed by militants while he was working on the family farm.
“After these things happened to me, I felt like the world was crumbling around me, as if I was the only one,” says Josiah.
Josiah did not have to deal with his trauma alone. Open Doors Canada met him and, through biblical counseling, Josiah learned to forgive and move on.
Instead of giving up his faith out of fear or succumbing to anger towards God, Josiah continued to contribute to the Christian community.
In doing so, he found peace.
“The anger reduced, the bitterness reduced, because of the love of God and the Holy Spirit,” says Josiah.
Unfortunately, what happened in Josiah’s past isn’t at all uncommon. According to Open Doors Canada, about 12 Christians are killed every day in sub-Saharan Africa. Nine of them are from Nigeria.
Pastor Josiah’s testimony shows that even though Christians are being persecuted against in sub-Saharan Africa, they still stay committed to their faith.
Source: Open Doors Canada
