Steadfast Global, 7th June 2024
Pakistan:
74-year-old Christian businessman, Nazeer Masih Gill, died in hospital on 3 June as a result of serious head injuries he received after being attacked by a mob in Sargodha, Punjab on 25 May. The mob formed outside Mr. Gill’s home around 6 a.m. after he was falsely accused of burning pages from the Qur’an. After police arrived to take Mr. Masih into custody for further investigation, the mob attacked throwing bricks and stones and striking him about the head to his serious injury.
India:
A young Christian widow who witnessed the murder of her 22-year-old husband, has fled her home and community in fear of her life. Jime Kawasi is now in hiding after relatives killed Kosa Kwasi on 4 May following a ruling by villagers in Bastar District, Chhattisgarh, that families with Christian converts were forbidden from participating in festival offerings to local gods. The killing also resulted in five other Christian families fleeing the village and area.
Nigeria:
Media outlets have reported the good news that 350 hostages, most of whom are women and children, were rescued by the Nigerian army following a raid on a Boko Haram camp in the Sambisa Forest in Borno State. Of the number, 209 are children – many believed to have been born as a consequence of forced marriage, 135 women and six men. The released captives are being cared for by the authorities ahead of their return home.