A three month old baby who suffered a machete wound to the head in an attack in Nigeria has been left orphaned.
The baby's mother and father were killed alongside the mother's father. Rev Bulus Madaki, as they travelled together along a highway in Plateau state last month.
The baby girl was left to die, but survived with a severe head injury.
Pastor Madaki worked with the Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS) and he and his family was killed while en route to his new mission station in Barkin Ladi County.
A statement by the EMS of the Evangelical Church Winning All said Rev Madaki and his family had been ambushed by Fulani herdsmen and the tragedy reflected the danger of being a Christian in the country: “In Nigeria, the gospel is often preached at the cost of blood and tears, the blood and tears of missionaries who choose to follow Christ no matter the price”.
The statement added: "Missions in Nigeria is growing, but the danger that comes with it is both real, brutal and enduring... “In spite of this attack, it is a sure evidence that we are winning and souls are being won to Christ through a tumultuous period.”
The Evangelical Church Winning All is a Nigeria-based Protestant denomination.
Nigeria is number seven on the Open Doors World Watch List, which ranks the countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.