More than 100 Christians Killed In Nigeria

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ABUJA (Worthy News) – More than 100 Christians, including children, pastors, farmers, and “even people attending a funeral,” have been killed and around 5,000 displaced in attacks by Islamist militants in Nigeria, a Christian advocacy group confirmed Tuesday.

Open Doors said that many of the attacks over the past week are believed to be “revenge” against a local bishop who testified to the U.S. Congress about the ongoing violence in the region.

“On Saturday, May 24, there was 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,” the group explained.

“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 U.S. Congress, Christians said. “This is horror. This is terror,” said priest 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 priest 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,” he added in published remarks.

There were further attacks reported some 400 kilometers (250 miles) away in Taraba State. Also, on Saturday, May 24, an armed motorcycle convoy stormed homes, killing 42 people, including 24 members of a local Methodist church, Christians confirmed.

SURVIVORS SHOCKED

“We didn’t know where to run to,” said survivor Soja Emmanuel. “They came around 2 a.m., 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.

Elsewhere 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,” Open Doors said.

Terror alerts were still in force across Plateau State on Tuesday, Christians said, adding that it was not clear whether security forces quelled the violence.

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

With clashes ongoing, more than 5,000 people have reportedly fled or are still hiding in the forests. “Fear reigns. The attacks have left deep wounds of grief — but also a call to prayer,” Open Doors stressed.

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

PERSECUTION INCREASING

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

“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,” Samuel said.

The expert said, “We call on believers worldwide to lift up in urgent prayer those struck down in this unimaginable suffering” and “for militants to encounter Jesus and turn from their wicked ways.”

Nigeria ranks 7th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations where Open Doors says Christians face the most persecution for their faith.

Last year, more than 3,000 Christians were killed and more than 2,000 kidnapped by mainly Islamic groups in Nigeria alone, according to Open Doors and other sources.

They are not alone. Christians living in a displacement camp in Benue State, seen in the footage by Worthy News, are among an estimated 16.2 million believers in sub-Saharan Africa who have been forced to flee their homes because of local violence and broader armed conflict.

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