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At least 40 people were killed in a brutal attack on a Christian farming community in north-central Nigeria late Sunday night, according to President Bola Tinubu. The attackers, who were reported as being Muslim gunmen, struck on Palm Sunday in the Zike community, located in Bassa, Plateau State.
Open Doors reports this latest attack brings the death toll to around 113 people who have been killed in an ongoing spate of attacks in Plateau State since the end of March. The watchdog group reports Muslim Fulani militants have attacked at least eight communities, destroying more than 300 homes and displacing 3,000 people.
In the last few weeks, the militants killed 3 Christians who were in the middle of farming their land, 11 Christians who had gathered for a funeral – including a pregnant woman and a ten-year-old girl – and at least five Christian women who had gathered for fellowship.
In the Palm Sunday attack, Andy Yakubu, a resident of Zike, said homes were looted and set ablaze during the onslaught, and the death toll could exceed 50. At the last count, an Open Doors contact reported, "43 people were killed, several houses were burnt down with people inside."
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Nigeria's President condemned the violence and said an investigation has been launched. "I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts," he said, offering his condolences to the victims' families.
Authorities have made similar promises before, but these types of assaults have become increasingly common in this region, where clashes between predominantly Muslim Fulani herders and Christian farmers over land and water have intensified.
"Our people are living in fear," Titus Ayuba Alams, who serves as a special adviser to local authorities on workers' welfare, told Open Doors. "Children no longer go to school, even worship in churches you can't do it, because you are running for your life."
As CBN News reported in December, dozens of Nigerian Christians were also slaughtered on Christmas Day and during a pre-Christmas service.
Samuel Jugo, spokesperson for the Irigwe Development Association—an ethnic Christian group based in the Bassa area—confirmed that at least 75 members of the Irigwe community have been killed since December 2024.
As we've previously reported, the situation in Nigeria remains increasingly dangerous for Christians. Overall, more than 16,000 Christians were reportedly killed in Nigeria between 2019 and 2023 based on data by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa.
"Most Americans have no idea what's going on in Nigeria, but imagine this: for the last 20 years, probably up to about 100,000 Christians have been murdered," said Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern. "Three-and-a-half million Christians, their lands have been taken from them, and the government's pretty much done nothing."
While the bloody conflict over land and resources in Nigeria's middle belt has been ongoing, it's not the only religious violence going on there. The country is also locked in a fight against Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group that launched an insurgency in 2009. That militant campaign, aimed at enforcing a hardline version of Islamic law, continues to affect northern Nigeria and neighboring countries.
Open Doors reports this latest attack brings the death toll to around 113 people who have been killed in an ongoing spate of attacks in Plateau State since the end of March. The watchdog group reports Muslim Fulani militants have attacked at least eight communities, destroying more than 300 homes and displacing 3,000 people.
In the last few weeks, the militants killed 3 Christians who were in the middle of farming their land, 11 Christians who had gathered for a funeral – including a pregnant woman and a ten-year-old girl – and at least five Christian women who had gathered for fellowship.
In the Palm Sunday attack, Andy Yakubu, a resident of Zike, said homes were looted and set ablaze during the onslaught, and the death toll could exceed 50. At the last count, an Open Doors contact reported, "43 people were killed, several houses were burnt down with people inside."
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
Nigeria's President condemned the violence and said an investigation has been launched. "I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts," he said, offering his condolences to the victims' families.
Authorities have made similar promises before, but these types of assaults have become increasingly common in this region, where clashes between predominantly Muslim Fulani herders and Christian farmers over land and water have intensified.
"Our people are living in fear," Titus Ayuba Alams, who serves as a special adviser to local authorities on workers' welfare, told Open Doors. "Children no longer go to school, even worship in churches you can't do it, because you are running for your life."
As CBN News reported in December, dozens of Nigerian Christians were also slaughtered on Christmas Day and during a pre-Christmas service.
Samuel Jugo, spokesperson for the Irigwe Development Association—an ethnic Christian group based in the Bassa area—confirmed that at least 75 members of the Irigwe community have been killed since December 2024.
As we've previously reported, the situation in Nigeria remains increasingly dangerous for Christians. Overall, more than 16,000 Christians were reportedly killed in Nigeria between 2019 and 2023 based on data by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa.
"Most Americans have no idea what's going on in Nigeria, but imagine this: for the last 20 years, probably up to about 100,000 Christians have been murdered," said Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern. "Three-and-a-half million Christians, their lands have been taken from them, and the government's pretty much done nothing."
While the bloody conflict over land and resources in Nigeria's middle belt has been ongoing, it's not the only religious violence going on there. The country is also locked in a fight against Boko Haram, the Islamist extremist group that launched an insurgency in 2009. That militant campaign, aimed at enforcing a hardline version of Islamic law, continues to affect northern Nigeria and neighboring countries.
