Nigerian pastor one of two gunned down en route to church

Gunmen fatally shot a pastor and another victim on Sunday while the two were en route to a church in the Barkin Ladi region of Nigeria’s central Plateau State, according to Nigerian outlet The Punch. Rwang Tengwong, a spokesman for a local youth organization, confirmed the deaths to The Punch, but the identities of both victims and the attackers were unclear.

Five others died in a separate attack nearby. The victims were travelling to work as laborers in Barkin Ladi. They were attacked and shot on Saturday night, The Punch reported. The Plateau State Police Command was deploying additional officers to the communities affected by both attacks, according to the outlet.

The news came after several other recent killings across the country. The TruthNigeria news outlet reported that over the past week, 41 people were killed in many separate attacks and at least 100 were kidnapped. Some of the attacks were attributed to the Lakurawa armed group, Boko Haram jihadists, and Fulani militants.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on a spate of deaths in southwestern Nigeria linked to a poisoned drink.