54 Christians killed during Palm Sunday service in Nigeria

 

Following Palm Sunday celebrations on April 13, Islamic Fulani extremists slaughtered at least 54 Christians in the village of Zikke near Jos, Plateau state. Local leaders are calling the attack “a targeted act of genocide against the Christian community.” 

Eyewitnesses said the attack lasted more than an hour, leaving 103 households destroyed and the entire village displaced. Frustration mounted as residents reported a delayed military response and accused security forces of bias, disarming local Christian youth but not Fulani attackers. 

The Rev. Hezekiah Mukan officiated the mass burial of 51 Christians on April 14. Mukan, also chair of the Christian Association of Nigeria, consoled locals reading from 1 Thessalonians 4:13, calling on everyone to remember their hope in Christ as they mourned the dead. The three other known victims received separate Christian burials.

Pastor Ishaku Mathew Kure, a local Baptist pastor, lost 10 members of his congregation and described seeing the attackers, some speaking both English and Fulani, using phrases like “Kill” and “Let’s go.” The pastor, who narrowly escaped with his family, called the violence “genocide” and questioned the government’s failure to disarm Fulani militias while locals remain defenseless. 

Amnesty International condemned the massacre, which left elderly people and children butchered in their homes. “The inexcusable security lapses must be investigated,” Amnesty stated, adding that mere statements of condemnation are insufficient without justice and accountability. 

From December 2023 to February 2024, more than 1,300 people were killed in Plateau state alone, including more than 500 women and 260 children. Nearly 30,000 people have been displaced. The frequency and pattern of the attacks have led to growing fears of an orchestrated campaign to forcibly displace Christian communities and seize their ancestral lands. 

Eli Bako, a state lawmaker representing the affected area, called the attack “evil” and pleaded with the international community for urgent intervention. “One day, we will have no people left in our constituency,” he warned, criticizing the selective disarmament of vulnerable villagers. 

Plateau State Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang condemned the attacks as “coordinated acts of terror” aimed at ethnic cleansing. In a state broadcast on April 14, he stated, “What we are witnessing is not mere herder-farmer clashes, but a calculated campaign of genocide.” 

He pledged full support for the victims, announcing free medical treatment for the wounded, deployment of more troops, and provision of emergency relief supplies. The governor also met with top federal security officials, including Nigeria’s president and the chief of defense staff, to demand urgent intervention. 

Despite these measures, confidence in Nigeria’s ability to protect its Christian communities continues to erode. As international organizations monitor the situation, urgent calls for justice, protection, and humanitarian aid are rising.  

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