On 8 April, sources reported that more than 60 Christians had been killed in attacks by Islamist Fulani herdsmen, particularly in Bokkos County, the previous week.
In a broadcast statement, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang said, “What has happened on the Plateau is not a clash between farmers and herders. Please hear me and hear me well: What has been happening is genocide and I want the international community to note it.”
One pastor told sources, “Many of these attacks result in mass burials. The sight of numerous corpses and the frequent need to conduct mass burials is something no minister wishes to experience, yet it has become our reality. Daily kidnappings, molestation and rape of Christian women, particularly in rural villages across north-central Nigeria, especially in Plateau state, have become disturbingly common.”
Nigerian partners have carried out research in five local government areas of Plateau State since December. Their findings show that 136 communities have suffered attacks by Islamist Fulani militia; 79 of those being left completely deserted. Almost every week a Christian is either killed on his farm or innocent Christians are attacked and either killed in their homes or kidnapped, another pastor noted.
Referring to one of the recent attacks, on Hurti village, a local leader of the Bokkos area and eyewitness told sources, “The people of Hurti said the security [forces] came when the Fulani started the attack. They picked up some dead bodies and left—then immediately the Fulani came back and began to shoot again, killing and destroying the whole community.”
Paul Robinson, CEO of our sister mission, Release International, said, “These attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria are, as one pastor put it, ‘disturbingly common’. Our partners in Nigeria say the devastation is ‘no longer news’— that’s a sign of how common it has become.
“But we should continue to be alarmed at the horrific toll on Christian communities in Nigeria’s middle belt; be it killings, destruction of churches, or the devastation that reduces those who have fled to living on camps for displaced people, unable to return to their homes and villages.”
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