Hundreds Protest in Benue After 18 Christians Killed in Coordinated Attacks

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Hundreds of Christians on Sunday staged a protest by blocking the Otukpo–Enugu Federal Highway following the killing of 18 Christians in a series of coordinated attacks in Benue State, central Nigeria.

The demonstrations came after two attacks carried out within a 36-hour period. According to local residents, all those killed were Christians.

In a powerful display of mourning and outrage, protesters carried the bodies of several victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma, the traditional ruler of the Idoma people. Demonstrators accused Nigerian security agencies of failing to act despite repeated warnings before and during the attacks.

The violence occurred only days after American missionary Judd Saul, Executive Director and Founder of Equipping The Persecuted (ETP), publicly warned that communities across Benue State, including Otukpo, faced an imminent threat of attack. Residents said this warning had been communicated to security authorities prior to the assaults.

According to local accounts, around 150 armed Fulani attackers entered the Otukpo-Nobi community before dawn on Sunday, killing 16 Christians and injuring approximately 20 others. Witnesses said many of the victims were getting ready to attend church services when the attackers struck.

The assault followed another deadly incident less than 36 hours earlier. On Friday, July 10, 2026, two Christian farmers—identified as Gabriel Igwu and Inalegwu Adakole—were reportedly killed while working on a cassava farm in Akpachi village, Ugboju Precinct, Otukpo Local Government Area, about five miles southeast of Otukpo-Nobi. Their deaths brought the total number of Christians killed in the attacks to 18.

The latest violence comes amid heightened tensions in the region following the June 26 killing of two leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ardo Mohammed Risku and Yakubu Isah, in nearby Okudu after attending a peace meeting. Their deaths have raised concerns over the possibility of further retaliatory violence across Benue State.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)