Attacks by suspected Fulani militants on Christian communities in north-central Nigeria claimed the lives of close to 50 villagers over the Christmas period. Another three have been killed since the start of the year. The dead include at least 15 people gunned down on Sunday, December 22, and 33 killed in attacks on Christmas Day.
A building damaged in the Christmas Day attack that left 33 people dead. Benue Interior Ministry, Facebook
The worst fears of Middle Belt Christians were realized when Muslim Fulani militants invaded several Christian communities over the holidays, killing residents and setting buildings alight, in a repeat of the deadly violence that has plagued Christmases over the past few years.
In the run-up to Christmas, attackers struck Plateau State, targeting the village of Gidan Ado on the evening of Sunday 22 December. Opening fire on residents, the gunmen killed 15, including a pregnant woman, a baby and a 13-year-old child, according to news reports which provided a list of victims and their ages. People were killed in their homes or as they attempted to flee, according to an eyewitness. In addition, dozens of houses were set on fire.
A survivor told the Nigerian Tribune that the language spoken by the attackers identified them as Fulani.
Attacks in spite of enhanced security
The fatal attack occurred despite the Plateau State authorities having ramped up security ahead of the holiday, the newspaper reported. This was in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the tragedy that occurred on Christmas Eve 2023 when more than 200 were killed in Fulani militant attacks. However, the extra security measures were only set to come into force on 23 December.
Reacting to this, a local leader, Clement Chup, said that the attack called into question the federal security agencies’ “commitment” to “securing lives and property of Nigerians”. In a press statement quoted by Morning Star News, he noted that Gidan Ado is “just a stone’s throw from a military checkpoint”.
The village of Gidan Ado is situated in Riyom local government area, a largely agricultural area of Plateau State that has repeatedly come under attack by militant Fulani herdsmen seeking to displace local Christian populations and seize the land.
Christmas Day carnage
In neighboring Benue State, a total of 33 people were reported killed in a Christmas Day massacre. A local resident, Adam Kpandev, told Morning Star News that five predominantly Christian villages – Anwase, Ubutu, Tse Azege, Nyiev-ya and Ityuluv – had come under attack from suspected Fulani herders.
“The attacks on these communities occurred when the people were busy celebrating Christmas with their loved ones,” Kpandev said.
The militants are said to have shot indiscriminately at worshippers during a church service, and to have set houses and barns alight.
Furthermore, several people are reported to be unaccounted for. Sahara Reporters said seven children had been abducted and were among the missing.
In a statement, the Benue State governor, Rev. Hyacinth Alia, referred to the attacks as a “heinous” assault on unarmed, innocent citizens. And he pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Attacks continue into new year
Meanwhile, fresh violence has been reported in western Plateau State in the first week of the new year.
On 6 January gunmen killed three people and wounded six in Sha village, in Bokkos local government area, according to reports confirmed by the Bokkos local government council.
Residents of Bokkos had been on alert after Fulani herdsmen were spotted in the area before Christmas, giving rise to fears of a pending attack. Consequently, restrictions on movement were in place over the holiday period to prevent any such attack, according to Morning Star News.
Attacks were anticipated
It should be recalled that last November a Christian youth organisation in Plateau State led calls for a crackdown on Fulani militias amid a surge in attacks. It argued that Fulani militants were intent on taking over Christian communities and warned of a repeat of the 2023 Christmas Eve attacks.
For over six years, militias drawn from the Muslim-majority Fulani ethnic group have been attacking Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt – a fertile region stretching across central Nigeria from west to east, populated by hundreds of indigenous, majority-Christian ethnic groups. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the attacks, and millions displaced.
