Christian Woman Killed as Fulani Herdsmen Continue Deadly Attacks in Nigeria’s Plateau State
- Mahamunimodi Team
- Aug 8
- 2 min read
A fresh wave of violence has once again struck Nigeria’s Plateau state, as Fulani herdsmen launched a brutal assault on a Christian village on the morning of Monday, August 4. In the latest attack, a Christian woman was killed in Njin village—an incident that adds to a grim total of 17 Christians killed in the region since mid-July, according to local sources.
Dorcas Ishaya, a resident of the affected village, confirmed the incident and detailed the harrowing events in a message to Christian Daily International – Morning Star News.
“Fulani herdsmen are at it again,” she lamented. “At 10 a.m. on Monday, they invaded Njin village located in the Kopmur area of Mushere chiefdom, within Bokkos Local Government Area. During the attack, they killed a Christian woman and spread panic throughout the village.”
Ezekiel Tongs, another local resident, added that the violence was not limited to the killing alone. The herdsmen reportedly looted the village and destroyed properties, further deepening the sense of loss and displacement among the local population.
“These attackers didn’t come only to kill,” Tongs reported. “They also robbed households, stole domestic animals, set fire to many homes, and forced numerous Christian families to flee.”
Security forces have since been deployed to the area, but their presence has done little to reassure residents still shaken by a series of recent killings. Ishaya recalled a previous incident on July 15, when two Christians were ambushed, shot dead, and their bodies set ablaze in the same Bokkos area.
Meanwhile, community leader Yohana Margif shared additional disturbing developments. Speaking on Friday, August 1, he said that the attacks had led to the forceful displacement of Christians from at least nine villages. These once-thriving communities are now under the control of armed Fulani herdsmen, who have allegedly taken over homes and farmland.
The Broader Context: Religious and Ethnic Tensions
The Fulani, who number in the millions across Nigeria and the wider Sahel region, are predominantly Muslim and belong to hundreds of clans across various lineages. While most Fulani do not hold extremist views, a troubling minority has been linked to radical Islamist ideologies.
A 2020 report by the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief (APPG) highlighted the increasing danger posed by extremist Fulani factions.
The report noted that such groups “adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP [Islamic State West Africa Province] and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity.”
Christian leaders across Nigeria’s Middle Belt have repeatedly warned of a disturbing pattern. They argue that these attacks are not random acts of violence but rather a calculated campaign to displace Christian communities, seize their ancestral lands, and impose Islamic control. The worsening effects of desertification, which have made it harder for nomadic Fulani herdsmen to maintain their livestock, are believed to be a key driver behind the increasing aggression.
As these violent incidents continue with devastating regularity, Christian communities in central Nigeria live in a state of constant fear—caught between dwindling security responses and an unrelenting threat from armed herdsmen.
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