‘We will make sure that we chop off your head,’ threatens Sheikh on Tic Toc.
[Abuja] Thirty-six year old Musa Bello dared envision a Nigeria where Muslims freely embrace the Christian gospel through personal encounters with truth. The Fulani evangelist gained fame for preaching in remote forests and converting those linked to violence despite death threats. His journey of faith brought him to a brutal beating by Muslims on Feb. 7 and landed him in an Abuja jail where he is today.
The International Committee on Nigeria has expressed concern that Pastor Bello could be killed while in custody or murdered by religious extremists such as happened to college student Deborah Emmanuel in Sokoto on May 12, 2022. “It’s an atrocity for a Fulani man just to say he is a Christian, and Bello is one of many Fulani Christians endangered,” said ICON President Stephen Enada to TruthNigeria.
Federal police allegedly arrested Bello on charges of armed robbery in Abuja last week, according to Rev. David Ayuba Azzaman, Bello’s mentor and head of Kings Worship Chapel in Abuja. No official statement has confirmed this claim so far. Calls from TruthNigeria to the Police Spokeswoman in Abuja were not returned by press time. However, Azzaman says that a trusted friend who is a police inspector advised that Bello is being held under suspicion of armed robbery and is being held in the anti-robbery unit in Abuja.
“Pastor Bello’s wife, Maryam told us that her husband has been beaten by police,” Azzaman said.
When asked about her husband’s condition she said:
“My husband was beaten and injured by the mob that killed Adamu and when he was taken by the police they didn’t give him any medical attention instead took him to a terrible detention facility,” Maryam Bello told TruthNigeria by phone. Ms. Bello said her husband is in serious pain.
“He is giving up, he told me he doesn’t think he can continue holding up. His strength can no longer carry on with the pain,” she said.
“I want Christians all over the world to come and help me because I cannot do anything on my own. My daughters are asking after their father “ she said to TruthNigeria.
Death Threat Issued against Bello on TikTok Channel
“ICON condemns the attack on Musa Bello by radical Fulani Muslims and subsequently arrested, merely for his words of faith and hope in Jesus Christ. We recall Deborah Emmanuel who was falsely accused of blasphemy, attacked and killed simply for invoking her faith in Jesus Christ,” said Kyle Abts, executive director of ICON in a text.
“Muslims actively proselytize in Nigeria, just like Christians, but no one can force another to adopt any religion,” according to Abts. “However, proselytizing in public may be illegal in some states (namely the 12 States that enforce Sharia Law), on the grounds that increases ethnic conflicts. Religious discrimination is prohibited by law but there are significant inter-religious social tensions,” he added.
“If you witness any Christian preacher or teacher you will notice their passion and often hear an invitation for any listener to respond and believe this truth and follow Jesus Christ. You do not see any physical action or verbal charge to convert anyone – it is an invitation to be acted upon solely by the listener.
“However, Fulani Muslims often see this as an act of compulsion and violently respond to preachers and teachers. They would often take law into their own hands, shout “blasphemy” and physically attack the speaker of such Christian invitation,” Abts said.
Sheikh Abdallah Gadankaya in January called for the murder of Pastor Bello in a segment shown on Ta’alim Alfurqan TV, a channel made available through TikTok.
“We will make sure that we chop off your head as the Quran tells us to do for anyone who leaves the true religion of Islam,” according to Sheikh Gadankaya.
From Muslim to Missionary
A native of Kajuru County in Kaduna State, Bello grew up Muslim before what he described as an “astonishing divine experience” in 2018 transformed him. He converted to Christianity through self-study of the Bible five years ago,” Azzaman said to TruthNigeria. He subsequently gained renown among Christian leaders for preaching to largely Muslim Fulani communities, including criminals hiding in remote forests. Former Muslims embraced his message after profound encounters with Jesus, according to sources interviewed by TruthNigeria.
Those daring to convert faced harassment or attack in the predominantly Islamic north, where Sharia law influences public conduct. A young street evangelist, Oluwatosin Onadipe, was murdered in December 2023 in Ogun State simply for sharing his beliefs.
Yet, daring conversions continued through Bello’s work until his disappearance after going to locate his missing assistant on February 7, 2024. Local Muslim youth are believed to have beaten to death Bello’s assistant, a man named Adamu, according to witnesses speaking to TruthNigeria on background. Witnesses claim the youths brutaly beat Evangelist Bello when he reached the location of the murder of Adamu, before police seized the injured preacher and took him into custody.
Pastor Azzaman has criticized the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leadership for remaining silent when Muslims loudly protest minor disputes.
“The hypocrisy of Nigeria’s leaders astounds me,” Azzaman admits. “They speak about freedom and rights while crushing peaceful people who dare exercise them. My brother Bello may die behind bars before the nation – or world – notices.”
Stephen Kefason reports on terrorism and religious freedom issues from various Middle Belt states in Nigeria.
