11 children amongst 30 Christians killed in brutal attack in Nigeria

30 Christians have been killed in an attack in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region. The youngest victim was aged three and the eldest 87. Please pray, and please act today by signing and sharing the Arise Africa petition.

A three-year-old is the youngest victim in another brutal and senseless attack in Nigeria that’s killed 30 Christians.

The incident happened just before midnight on Sunday (26 July), when suspected militant members of the Fulani people group attacked the village of Naridon in Kauru Local Government Area.

The victims comprised 21 from a Catholic church and nine from ECWA (Evangelical Church Winning All). Nine were men, ten were women and 11 were children. A further seven people (four children, two women and one man) were injured. Others remain unaccounted for, so the death toll could rise.

“They were going from house to house, shooting,” Jacob Nera, a former councillor, told media. “Yes, they set three shops and two houses on fire. For now, we don’t know if anyone was kidnapped.”

Security forces are accused of another slow response. Nera said the Nigerian Army ‘refused to come on time’. Police also did not arrive until after the incident.

Victims named

In a joint statement, the leadership of the Chawai Community Development Association and the Para-Malam Peace Foundation released the names and details of the victims:

Women: Kaka Umaru (87), Maria Pius (70), Pheobe Bala (68), Phoebe Markus (67), Mama Ibrahim (65), Guntu Bala (53), Mariyamu Joseph (46), Maria Istifanus (35), Miracle Yakubu (28), Tabawa Monday (25).

Men: Danladi Ibrahim (78), Markus Gashi (71), Bulus Markus (67), Ayalla Markus (52), Nuhu Bulus (30), Audi Musa (29), Gundumi Umaru (28), Monday Danladi (24), Sunday Yakubu (24).

Children, 15 and below: Enock Bala (m,15), Deborah Emmanuel (f, 13), Yusuf Emmanuel (m 11), Ladi Monday (f, 9), Saviour Monday (m, 9), Friday Emmanuel (m, 9), Yunana Emmanuel (m, 7), Dominion Danladi (m, 5), Irimiya Emmanuel (m, 5), Joy Ali (f, 4), Geoffrey Monday (m, 3).

Impunity and inaction

“People are being killed without any resistance in their homes where they expect to be safe, and businesses and farmlands where they work to provide for their families are repeatedly destroyed,” shares John Samuel*, legal expert for Open Doors’ work in sub-Saharan Africa. “That these attacks are allowed to happen over and over again is totally unacceptable. We continue to call upon the Nigerian government and its security agencies to take decisive action in fulfilling their constitutional responsibility to protect all citizens.”

“Impunity is driven because of the absence of rule of law,” adds Jo Newhouse*, Open Doors spokesperson for work in the region. “Unless the Nigerian government and their partners find a way to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to book, and do more to protect vulnerable communities, these attacks will continue until life in one of Nigeria’s most pluralistic areas – the Middle Belt – becomes completely dominated by fear and trauma. The international community should not allow the Nigerian government the luxury of inaction.”

Please act today by signing and sharing petition

Attacks like these rarely make the headlines, contributing to a silence which only adds to the vulnerability of our brothers and sisters in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa. That’s why the Arise Africa petition is absolutely critical in making such a loud noise about it, that governments and international organisations cannot take notice and action, providing Christians with the justice, protection and restoration they desperately yearn for.

The aim is to take one million signatures to the UK government in November, but to reach this target – and to make a loud enough noise about this critical issue – we need your help. If you’ve yet to add your voice, please do so today, and please share it with your family, friends and churches. Thank you.