Pastor Who Survived Jos Riots Describes How He Cheated Death
Jos, in central Nigeria, was the scene of large-scale religious riots in September 2001 that left over 1,000 people dead. Rev. Bright Mctitus, a pastor at the Anglican Church Jos, was attacked at home simply for being a Christian. Declared dead, he spent three days in a mortuary before doctors preparing him for burial detected a weak pulse. Masara Kim relates the incredible story in a blog entry on the Nigeria Report website.
Mctitus was kneeling in his bedroom praying when a gang of six armed men came rushing in.
“They were shouting ‘Allahu’akbar’ [God is Great],” said Mctitus. “Two of them had AK-47 rifles. The others had machetes and knives.” One of the men, a neighbour, pinned Mctitus down.
“I was weak and helpless. I could not even scream. He brought the knife to my throat and that is the last thing I remember.”
Mctitus was taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital where he was pronounced ‘dead on arrival’.
But three days later on 15 September 2001 came the news no one could have expected: Mctitus was not dead but in a coma.
Following his miraculous recovery, Mctitus spent 15 months in intensive care. To this day, he has orthopedic implants in his hands. But he continues to lead a congregation in a small rural town south of Jos where Islamic militants still target Christians.