Nigeria: Islamist assailants massacre 20 Christians, kill 80 more in separate attacks, and destroy 96 Christian homes

Image: Jihad Watch

In Nigeria’s Plateau State, a wave of deadly violence continues to devastate Christian communities, with Fulani herdsmen accused of carrying out a string of targeted attacks that have left scores dead, homes destroyed, and entire villages living in fear.

Mass Killings in Mangu and Bokkos Counties

Since May, at least 80 Christians have been killed in Bokkos County alone, according to local sources. Thirteen predominantly Christian villages in the area have come under sustained attack from Fulani herdsmen, often in coordination with other Islamist militant groups. The assaults have not only taken lives but also razed homes and churches. Authorities have confirmed the incidents and deployed military personnel to the affected regions in an attempt to restore order.

On June 29, the villages of Tulus, Hokk, and Juwan were attacked. Ten other Christian communities were similarly targeted earlier on June 27, June 26, and June 2. In one particularly harrowing incident during the Hokk village assault, a pastor’s home was set ablaze, underscoring the specific targeting of Christian leadership and places of worship.

Amalau Samuel, the chairman of Bokkos Local Government Council, condemned the acts in the strongest terms, calling them “barbaric and inhuman.” His words echo the pain and despair felt by thousands across the region.

Systematic Violence in Mangu County

Meanwhile, in Mangu County, also in Plateau State, the attacks have been equally relentless. On June 27, herdsmen descended on the Christian village of Gyambwas in the Langai District, killing two residents and burning down 96 houses. According to eyewitness Esther Luka, one of the victims was Rose Dapus, a local Christian farmer. Dapus had gone to work on his farmland that day with about 15 hired hands. After paying them and sending them home, he remained behind with his son to finish some work when the herdsmen attacked. While his son managed to flee and alert others, Dapus was shot and killed on the spot.

“This is the devastating effect of Fulani killings in Mangu Local Government Area,” Luka said in a message to Christian Daily International–Morning Star News. The scale of destruction, she added, has left entire Christian communities displaced and traumatized.

Only days earlier, on June 19, three more Christians were killed while working on their farm in Manja village. Armed herdsmen attacked without warning, slaughtering the farmers and burning over 20 homes belonging to Christians. Plateau State legislator Mathew Kwarpo, who confirmed the incident, described it as part of a growing pattern of calculated attacks designed to instill terror and drive Christians from their ancestral lands.

Further attacks were reported on June 11 in Chicim village, just a mile from Mangu town. Eight Christians were gunned down when Fulani militants stormed the area, opening fire indiscriminately on villagers. On June 10, another attack occurred in Bwai village, also a Christian-majority community, where seven residents were killed in a similar fashion.

A Pattern of Persecution

The violence in Plateau State is part of a broader trend of religious persecution in Nigeria, where attacks on Christian populations have intensified in recent years. Human rights groups have repeatedly warned that Fulani militants, often armed and well-coordinated, are operating with impunity across central Nigeria.

The recurring nature of these assaults, often targeting Christians during farming or church-related activities, suggests a deliberate strategy aimed at economic destabilization, land seizure, and religious cleansing.

Despite sporadic deployments of security forces, the attacks continue unabated. Survivors and community leaders are calling on both the Nigerian government and the international community to take urgent action to address what many now see as a genocide in slow motion.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)