Wave of Deadly Attacks Leaves at Least 85 Christians Dead in Nigeria’s Middle Belt as Violence Escalates

Image: Jihad Watch

At least 85 Christians have been killed in a horrifying series of coordinated attacks across Benue State in central Nigeria over the span of just one week, further deepening the ongoing crisis of insecurity plaguing the country’s Middle Belt. The region — long a flashpoint for ethno-religious violence — is witnessing a renewed surge of brutal assaults that have left entire communities devastated and displaced.

The most recent wave of bloodshed began on Sunday, June 1, when armed groups launched a deadly assault on communities in Gwer West and Apa local government areas, killing at least 43 people. According to local officials and eyewitnesses, the attackers — described as Fulani ethnic militias — arrived in a well-organized convoy of vehicles before striking the villages of Tse Antswam, near the town of Naka, and Edikwu-Ankpali in Apa around 7 p.m. The raiders moved swiftly, targeting vulnerable civilian populations and leaving behind a trail of destruction.

Just days prior, similar coordinated attacks in multiple villages across Gwer West had already claimed another 42 lives, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes. The affected communities lie in the heart of Nigeria’s Middle Belt, a region historically marred by violent competition over land, water resources, and political representation. The violence often pits predominantly Christian farming communities against largely Muslim nomadic pastoralists, including Fulani herders — though the situation is further complicated by criminal networks and political manipulation.

In the village of Tse Antswam, situated near the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) primary school and a federal dam project, local responders recovered at least 17 bodies in the aftermath of the attack. Many of the surviving residents have since sought refuge at the primary school, which has been converted into a temporary shelter. Local vigilante groups and police officers are now stationed there in a desperate effort to provide security and prevent further atrocities.

Patrick Modoom, a respected community leader, highlighted the scale of devastation that Gwer West has endured, "Fourteen out of the fifteen political wards in Gwer West have been attacked over the past year," he stated grimly. "The latest attack occurred very close to a military checkpoint, yet no response came from the soldiers. People were left completely to defend themselves."

The inability — or unwillingness — of state security forces to intervene effectively has raised serious questions about the Nigerian government’s handling of the escalating crisis. Many residents accuse the authorities of neglecting rural Christian communities and failing to confront well-armed militia groups.

Adding to the alarm, Amnesty International recently reported that an astonishing 672 villages have been sacked across the states of Benue, Plateau, and Kaduna alone in recent years. The majority of these villages were home to Christian-majority farming communities, whose inhabitants now face large-scale internal displacement, economic ruin, and loss of ancestral lands.

The systematic nature of the attacks has led many local leaders and observers to characterize the violence as more than a local dispute over grazing rights or farmland. Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang bluntly described the situation as not merely a "clash between Muslim herders and Christian farmers," but a deliberate campaign of “genocide.” "This is not a clash. This is an orchestrated campaign to wipe out certain communities," Governor Mutfwang stated. "We cannot continue to ignore these realities."

A Growing Humanitarian Crisis

The violence has triggered an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis across Nigeria’s Middle Belt. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Nigeria already hosts over 3.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), with significant portions concentrated in Benue, Plateau, and Kaduna states. Displaced families often face poor living conditions, lack of medical care, and psychological trauma.

The crisis is further complicated by the failure of national-level political leadership to implement lasting solutions. Despite repeated promises, successive Nigerian governments have struggled to resolve the underlying issues driving Middle Belt violence — which include competition for scarce arable land, population pressures, climate change, and ethnic-religious tensions.

Militia groups — often equipped with sophisticated firearms — continue to operate with impunity. Many affected communities accuse certain political and economic actors of arming and supporting militias in pursuit of land grabs and demographic change.

Meanwhile, Christian leaders across Nigeria have condemned the silence of the international community and called for urgent action. In a joint statement, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) urged the federal government and global bodies to intervene to halt what it described as an ongoing "ethnic and religious cleansing."

Conclusion

The latest spate of killings in Benue State highlights the tragic and persistent cycle of violence consuming Nigeria’s Middle Belt. What began as localized disputes over grazing routes and farmland has now morphed into a larger pattern of ethnically and religiously charged attacks.

As mass graves fill, villages burn, and survivors languish in makeshift camps, there is growing consensus that urgent, sustained international attention and domestic political will are required to break this cycle. Without meaningful intervention, the region risks sliding even further into an abyss of communal hatred, displacement, and humanitarian catastrophe.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)