By Masara Kim
Thousands of Muslims in Northern Nigeria seek to embrace Christianity but fear repercussions, including death for their conversion, according to Church leaders speaking to TruthNigeria. But Lance Corporal Musa Adamu Ibrahim, who was brought up in a devout Muslim household in the majority-Muslim State of Sokoto, openly proclaims his faith. His story raises questions about differential treatment of Christians in the Nigerian Army.
Ibrahim, who was recently dismissed from the military after spending weeks in jail for preaching about Jesus while in uniform, told TruthNigeria that his life has been under threat since his conversion in June 2020. However, he remains steadfast in his newfound faith and continues to share his message of salvation on social media.
No Regrets
“If it means I have to die preaching the word of God then praise be to Him,” said Ibrahim to TruthNigeria.
“I fear the wrath of God more than the harm anybody will do to me for carrying out the will of God,” said Ibrahim in a telephone interview. “If I will fear anything in this life then it means I don’t believe in the God who called me and revealed Himself to me even while I was still a Muslim,” he said.
On August 15, 2023, the Nigerian Army authorities dismissed Ibrahim from the service after putting him in jail for 48 days following his video posts preaching about Jesus on social media. Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the chief Army spokesman, told TruthNigeria Ibrahim had violated “some provisions of the Armed Forces Act.”
“Lance Corporal Musa Adamu, a personnel of the Amphibious Training School [ATS] was attached to 63 Brigade to participate in an ongoing operation, during which he was found preaching in uniform on a social media platform in violation of extant Social Media policy for the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” wrote Nwachukwu in a statement to TruthNigeria.
“This prompted his invitation for interrogation by relevant authorities. Rather than present himself for the investigation, he absconded for about six and a half months, resulting in the declaration of the soldier on Absence Without Official Leave (AWOL),” Nwachukwu wrote. “The action of the personnel violates Section 58 (a) (b) Obstruction of Provost Officers and Section 59 (a) (b) Absence Without Leave,” wrote Nwachukwu. (“Soldier detained for AWOL, not because of religious affiliation – MSN”)
Nwachukwu did not confirm that Ibrahim had undergone court-martial as required by the Armed Forces Act. Ibrahim had sent several letters to the authorities requesting to withdraw from the Army to pursue his calling as a preacher but was ignored, he told TruthNigeria in a call. In frustration, the soldier began carrying out his Divine assignment without waiting for the army’s approval, he said.
Ibrahim denies that he absconded. “On 3 November 2020, I tendered a letter of resignation from the army to pursue my calling, but I was not shortlisted among those who had filed similar applications at the time. I applied again the second time on October 11, 2021; the same thing happened. After the third attempt on June 12, 2022 failed to get the desired response, I began preaching in the army,” Ibrahim said.
According to Ibrahim, his ordeal started after he turned himself in for questioning on June 7 when he was immediately put behind bars and held incommunicado for 29 days.
“I was locked at the guard room of the 146 battalion from 7th June till 24 July without food and without salary. Only once in a while was my wife allowed to bring food to me. On 24 July, my wife snuck a cell phone in the food flasks she brought to me, and I used that to make a video on Facebook crying for help. After the video was released, a local news outlet contacted and published my story and later in the evening, I was transferred to ATS where I held again till 15 August when I was finally dismissed and thrown out of the barracks.”
Brig. General Nwachukwu described the story about Ibrahim published by Sahara reporters as libelous.
“The awful report credited to Sahara Reporters is not only a misrepresentation of the true situation, but an outrageous falsehood tainted with religious bigotry, being peddled against the Nigerian Army; a professional institution guided by well-established ethics and tradition in all its activities and administration of personnel,” he wrote.
Ibrahim was not a designated member of the army chaplaincy and therefore unqualified to preach, Gen. Nwachukwu told TruthNigeria.
“It is expedient to point out, that each and every personnel of the NA functions under a Corps or Department with stipulated statutory responsibilities manned by qualified personnel trained to effectively execute those duties. Hence, religious affairs of the NA are handled by designated clergies in the Directorates of Chaplain Services (Protestant), (Roman Catholic) and Islamic Affairs. Personnel of these Directorates are the ones mandated to conduct all religious activities to cater for the spiritual needs of all personnel of the NA, both in the theaters of operations and within the barracks,” he wrote.
Conversion
Ibrahim’s said his journey to salvation began in April 2020 while receiving treatment for a life-threatening illness in Sokoto. In a series of revelations, Ibrahim saw himself repeatedly battling unidentified creatures believed to be angels, with the bullets from his rifle unable to penetrate them, before finally receiving the ‘instructions’ to abandon his job and go into soul winning.
“The instruction was very clear – that I should pull my uniform and become a soldier for Christ – defending the Kingdom of God on earth through spreading the gospel of hope and salvation,” Ibrahim recalled.
“I started studying the Bible from my sick bed and soon got discharged from the hospital and returned to my duty post in Maiduguri,” narrated Ibrahim. “While in Maiduguri, my conviction became stronger and my calling clearer. I was avoided by both my Muslim and Christian friends who feared they could be killed along with me. But I had made up my mind. I was taught to hate Christians — regarding them less than animals. I was brought up to hate my Christian family members. But now all of those emotions have been channeled into the service of God, and I have no fear whatsoever,” he said.
Ibrahim told TruthNigeria that he had a chance to remain in hiding and forfeit everything the army had taken from him. However, he preferred to proclaim the word of God, so he turned himself in, accepting to be locked up as an only way to attaining his eventual freedom to preach.
Masara Kim is an award-winning conflict reporter in Jos and senior editor of TruthNigeria.com
