Stories of Christian Martyrs: A Nigerian Woman

“Release her to us!”
“Release her or we will burn down the building!”
“She deserves death!”
By now the mob had fully surrounded the police station, and their
demands for the officers to hand the woman over to them had grown to
a deafening level. Several held rocks of various sizes in their hands, ready
to release them at the first sight of the woman—the infidel—while others
held clubs and sticks.

The police had only moments ago found the bruised and bloodied
woman and brought her into the station to protect her from Muslim
extremists who were beating her with clubs and fists.
Earlier that day, this unidentified woman had been evangelizing in
the streets of Izom, Nigeria. She had entered into a conversation with
some Muslim youths, sharing the Gospel and handing them some Christian literature to read. Her encounter had not gone unnoticed.

Muslim elders standing nearby had seen the exchange and approached
the youths to find out what she had told them. They were infuriated to
learn that she had shared the Gospel with them. They claimed she had
insulted the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, and they insisted that the woman be killed. Their rage and allegations incited hundreds of other Muslims to pour through the streets to track down the woman. They finally caught up with her near the River Gurara and began beating her.

That’s when the police intervened and brought her into protective
custody at the Izom police station. The mob stormed the premises, demanding she be released to be stoned to death in accordance with Sharia, Islamic law. The Islamic legal system was implemented in several states of Nigeria in 2000, making it illegal to speak out against Allah or the prophet Muhammad.

The police had persistently refused to hand her over and were now
faced with the real threat that the mob would burn down the police station. In an effort to protect the woman and get her to safety, the police
tried to smuggle her out through a back door, but the angry Muslims
had blocked all escape routes. Fleeing for their lives, the police abandoned the woman at the door, and members of the mob clubbed her to death.

In the panic, the police did not have time to identify the woman
before she was killed. All that is known of this courageous young woman
is her actions of love in reaching others for Christ and bringing them the
Good News. Although nameless in death, she unashamedly pointed
others toward the true Name above all names, Jesus Christ, and it is
certain that He was ready to welcome her by name into eternity.

This story is an excerpt from Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs. You can get your own copy free with any donation to The Voice of the Martyrs.