Fourteen Christians, including a 1-year-old girl and a pregnant woman, were slain in Plateau State, Nigeria, following a Christmas carol service. This incident marks the latest assault in a series of attacks against the Irigwe tribe in the north-central region of the country.
The incident occurred last Sunday, approximately 22 miles from Jos, at the Evangelical Church Winning All, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog, International Christian Concern (ICC). The community surrounding the church is reported to be home to about 1,000 Christians.
Local leader Wuna Gado stated that he had alerted military personnel at a nearby checkpoint about unusual activities but his warnings were dismissed. Following the attack that resulted in the loss of entire families, a mass burial was held for the victims, including 1-year-old Sheba Ernest and her mother, Mary Stephen.
The Irigwe people, a predominantly Christian group, have faced ongoing violence and displacement by Fulani militias, with more than 2,000 Christians reported killed since 2016.
According to data collected by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, between 2019 and 2023, over 16,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria. The data revealed a total of 55,910 fatalities from 9,970 attacks across the country, including both civilians and combatants.
Among those killed, 30,880 were civilians, with Christian victims totaling 16,769, outnumbering the 6,235 Muslim fatalities, resulting in a ratio of 6.5 Christian deaths for every Muslim death. Radicalized Muslim Fulani herdsmen were identified as responsible for 55% of the Christian deaths.
The report emphasized that misleading euphemisms like “armed herdsmen” and “cattle grazers” are commonly used to describe the ongoing violence, torture, and killings in rural communities, and terms such as “ethnic clashes” and “farmer-herder clashes” are also noted as seriously misleading.
It also cautioned that the term “bandits” is frequently used to label militias responsible for mass kidnappings and the enforcement of “serfdom” on communities, adding that “a policy of concealing the religious identity of victims” distorts the reality of the situation.
The Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, an observatory partner and analyst, stated, “Fulani Ethnic Militia are targeting Christian populations, while Muslims also suffer severely at their hands.” Frans Vierhout, a senior analyst at the observatory, remarked, “Millions of people are left undefended. For years, we’ve heard of calls for help being ignored, as terrorists attack vulnerable communities. Now the data tells its own story.”
The report concluded by urging, “The Nigerian government should wake up to its responsibility of securing the lives and properties of Nigerians. Impunity has allowed targeted attacks against innocent people to continue unabatedly.”
