Christian communities in Nigeria continue to face devastating losses due to militant attacks, with the Baptist Press reporting that over 240 Christians were massacred in assaults on villages in Plateau and Benue states during Lent and Easter.
Suspected Fulani militants killed at least 72 Christians in villages within Ukum and Logo counties in Benue between April 18 and 20, according to a report by International Christian Concern (ICC) on April 22, with the death toll potentially rising.
Reports from Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, indicated that a pre-dawn attack lasting more than an hour targeted Zikke village following Palm Sunday services, resulting in around 54 Christian deaths. The massacre extended beyond Zikke to include simultaneous attacks on multiple villages, bringing the death toll to at least 100, as Christians were targeted while worshiping.
These killings followed the slaughter of more than 60 Christians on April 2 and 3 in seven communities in Bokkos County, Plateau.
Other attacks on Christians in Nigeria during April included three fatalities in Otukpo County, Benue on April 5, and four deaths in Plateau on April 6-7. Additionally, three family members were killed on April 11 in Zogu Village, Bassa County; two individuals were killed on April 8 in the Miango District of Bassa County; and one more was killed in Zashi on April 9.
According to Open Doors, these attacks coincide with the onset of the rainy season, which lasts until October. The organization notes that such attacks are often tactical and targeted, designed to cripple families and communities over the long term by fatally undermining and destroying local churches in Christian villages.
Pastor Charles Musa shared with Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that the region has been under siege for more than a year. He criticized the government's ineffective measures to protect farmers, stating, “Bokkos Local Government as a whole and part of Mangu Local Governments have been under siege for about one and a half years. The Plateau state government has put in so much but insufficient efforts to curb the menace. However, the federal government of Nigeria seems to have abandoned the people to their fates.”
Nigeria is currently ranked sixth on the 2024 Open Doors World Watch List, marking it as the deadliest country for Christians with 3,100 reported killings in 2024; however, the U.S. State Department has still not designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for serious religious liberty violations.
