Waves of recent attacks by Muslim Fulani militants on mainly Christian villages in Bokkos County have left over 130 Christians dead, hundreds of homes destroyed and an estimated 3,000 people displaced. Bokkos was also the scene for the deadly massacres at “Black Christmas” (December 2023) in which over 200 Christians died.
The attacks have been widely condemned including by Amnesty International and by the Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
During March, 24 Christians were killed on various dates in separate attacks on six mainly Christian villages. Those killed included eleven Christians who were killed while attending a wake for a deceased community member in Ruwi village on 28 March.
Attacks on 2nd and 3rd April
Over 60 Christians were killed in attacks on the 2nd and 3rd of April in seven separate communities located in Bokkos County. A local community leader, Maren Aradong, said, “More than 1,000 Christians were displaced during the attacks, and 383 houses were destroyed by these bandits. These attacks began on Wednesday 2 April at about 3 pm, when these armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen invaded our communities in large numbers; they came on motorcycles and attacked us. The assailants destroyed food stores and looted other items.”
Farmasum Fuddang, chairman of the Bokkos Community Development Council said initially 21 Christians were killed on Wednesday 2 April but by the next day, 40 more Christians were slaughtered, bringing the death toll to “more than 60 Christians killed during the two days of onslaught against our communities. These attacks were carried out by Fulani terrorists who targeted Christian communities of Ruwi, Mangor, Tamiso, Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, and Tadai,” he said. Four members of the security forces on duty in Hurti village were unable to stop the attack.
In the wake of these attacks, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang said in a televised interview, “What happened in the last two weeks in Bokkos is genocide – I say it unreservedly. No one has given me any reason to believe that what happened was politically motivated, and if there is any such suggestion I’ll be glad to receive the evidence of such, because these were unprovoked attacks on innocent people, vulnerable people.”
“So, it suggests to us that this is a well-coordinated plan to keep the people in those areas in perpetual poverty. It is possible that there could have been tensions in the past between communities, but I’ve challenged anyone to tell me who the feuding communities are. If we knew any community feuding with another community, we’ll be able to step in and bring in a reconciliation process. But at the moment you are dealing with attackers that are faceless, and so you just leave it to the fact that this is ill-motivated and is aimed at driving the people out of their lands.”
Attacks on 14th April
Fulani herdsmen attacked Zikke village in Kwall District, Bassa County in an attack early on Monday 14 April. A local resident, Blessing Yakubu, stated “Over 40 Christians have killed in a fresh attack which occurred in Zikke village. Lives have been lost and properties destroyed through this early morning attack by armed Fulani herdsmen.”
A youth leader in the community, Joseph Chudu, confirmed the attack saying that “The gunmen arrived in the community in large numbers, shooting and burning their houses. Yes, our people suffered a devastating attack last night in Zikke village. They (gunmen) came in large numbers last night and killed about 30 people. They also burnt several houses in the community. The attack lasted for more than one hour. Many who sustained injuries have been evacuated to Jos University Teaching Hospital. Please, we need blood for the injured.”
A list of the names and ages lists 51 people killed in the attack including ten young children (between three and seven years old). The list also reveals that many families (parents and young children) died. The list includes six members of one family – Talatu and Akus Moses, aged in their 40s and their children Friday (14), James (10), Jerry (7) and Jacob (3). Elderly people were not spared either – a 94-year-old man Reuben Adamu was the oldest person killed.
The attack was condemned in a strong statement from Amnesty International who stated “Many of the victims of last night’s deadly attack that could not run — including children and the elderly — were slaughtered and left in pools of blood. The inexcusable security lapses that enabled this horrific attack, two weeks after the killing of 52 people, must be investigated. Issuing bland statements condemning these horrific attacks is not enough and genuine commitment to protecting the people must be demonstrated by holding suspected perpetrators to account ensuring justice for the victims. While President Bola Tinubu claims his government is implementing new security measures to address the rising insecurity in the country, the recent attacks in Plateau state show that whatever security measures implemented are not working.”
Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu commented on X: “The ongoing violence between communities in Plateau State, rooted in misunderstandings between different ethnic and religious groups, must cease. I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts. We cannot allow this devastation and the tit-for-tat attacks to continue.”
(Morning Star News, Stefanos Foundation, Open Doors, Punch, Catholic Arena)
Image Credit: International Christian Concern
Church in Chains has sent an immediate grant of €6,000 via our partner Stefanos Foundation which will be used to provide food for Christians displaced in these attacks who are in great need.
Church in Chains has written to the Chargé d’Affaires at the Nigerian Embassy in Dublin appealing once again to the Nigerian government to “do all that it takes” to stop the violence against Christians in the Middle Belt region