“This is horror. This is terror” – more devastating attacks in Nigeria

There have been yet more deadly attacks in Nigeria, with Christians among more than 100 killed and thousands displaced. Please pray.

More than 100 have been killed and around 5,000 displaced in a series of attacks by Islamist militants in Nigeria, many of which are believed to be ‘revenge’ against a local bishop who testified to the US Congress about the ongoing violence in the region.

Bishop threatened

On Saturday 24 May, there were a series of shootings by Fulani militants in the villages of Tse-Ubiam and Tyolaha in Benue State, killing ten people. The following day, 20 were killed in shootings in Aondona and Ahume, and in a further attack on Yelewata village. On Monday, gunmen returned to two of the villages, taking aim and shooting survivors on sight. By Tuesday, the local government chairman confirmed over 40 had been killed.

The attacks happened in Gwer West, part of the Makurdi Diocese – the very diocese led by Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who testified to US Congress. “This is horror. This is terror,” said Fr Oliver Ortese. “You cannot imagine the reality we live in here.”

The bishop’s comments about the mass killing of Christians ‘drew threats from both some Islamic groups and the government’, according to Fr. Moses Aondover Iorapuu of Makurdi Diocese. “It took support from the US government for Bishop Anagbe to return to Nigeria without detention, but we suspected there would be an aftermath.”

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Mourners attacked at graveside

There were further attacks some 400km away in Taraba State. Also on Saturday 24 May, an armed motorcycle convoy stormed homes, killing 42 people, including 24 members of a local Methodist church. “We didn’t know where to run to,” said Soja Emmanuel, a survivor. “They came around 2am, shooting sporadically. People jumped out of their homes into the bush. Some didn’t make it.”

“We counted 42 corpses before noon on Saturday,” a soldier told national newspapers. “This is beyond anything we’ve seen before.” The exact death toll in Taraba remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, in Bokkos County in Plateau State, details are still emerging of a series of attacks by Fulani militants that begun on Sunday 25 May, with nine people reported dead so far. It’s understood that a mass burial of those killed in Kopmur village came under fire when gunmen returned to attack mourners at the graveside. Dozens of Christians are said to be trapped in forests and mountain hideouts, unable to escape as the militants continue to roam through the villages.

At the time of writing, terror alerts are in force across Plateau State. It is not clear whether security agencies have quelled the violence.

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Failure of state and security

The scale of bloodshed and the multiple failures of security are fuelling mounting criticism of state governors, who appear powerless to protect communities. 

“When the very diocese whose bishop courageously testified suddenly finds itself burying scores of its people – including from his own village – serious questions are raised,” says John Samuel*, Open Doors legal expert for sub-Saharan Africa. “Many don’t feel safe anymore, only because they identify as Christian.

“Christian persecution in Nigeria has reached such levels that observers struggle to fully document each atrocity before the next begins.

“Accountability remains scarce for these grave violations of the fundamental rights to life, liberty and freedom. The Nigerian government is failing to protect Christians who are killed in indiscriminate attacks. We call on the Nigerian government to do everything in its power to protect vulnerable Christian communities.

“We call on believers worldwide to lift up in urgent prayer those struck down in this unimaginable suffering.”

*Name changed for security reasons