At least 20 people were killed in 11 predominantly Christian villages of Plateau state, Nigeria, after multiple terrorist attacks over 11 days through Wednesday. Property worth "millions of naira" were also burned to the ground.
"The attackers were identified by Christian victims as Fulani terrorists," said Daylop Solomon Mwamtiri, an attorney with the Emancipation for Centre Crisis Victims in Nigeria. "The dastardly acts of terrorism unleashed by suspected Fulani militias in Plateau state have continued to claim lives, destruction of property including home and farmed crops on daily bases."
Residents of the community criticized the government after it took two days for police to arrive in the villages, International Christian Concern reports.
Alfred Alabo, a spokesman for the Plateau State Command, confirmed the attacks.
"[Security] personnel have been deployed to ensure normalcy is restored in the affected communities," Alabo said.
Makut Macham, a spokesman for the Plateau state governor, also commented on the attacks.
"These attacks are another attempt to reintroduce the era of violence and crises which have been largely contained due to the government's huge investment in security, peace building and reconciliation," Macham said. "While commiserating with those who lost their lives and properties, the governor directed the Peace Building Agency and the State Emergency Management Agency to immediately reach out to the victims with support."
The Fulani herdsmen have terrorized Nigeria for years, with "a clear intent to target Christians," Christian Post reports:
Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom's All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report.
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Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians' lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.
Nigeria is ranked the sixth most difficult country to be Christian, according to the 2023 World Watch List (WWL).
"Militants from the Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery," WWL said. "This year has also seen this violence spill over into the Christian-majority south of the nation. … Nigeria's government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians' rights are carried out with impunity."
Nigeria led the world in Christians martyred (5,014), "abducted (4,726), sexually assaulted or harassed, forcibly married or physically or mentally abused," WWL reports. The country had the second most church attacks and internally displaced people in 2022.
