Muslims kill over 30 people during Palm Sunday attacks

 

Gunmen killed at least 30 people during a Palm Sunday attack in Ungwan Rukuba, a community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau state, Nigeria. The incident occurred during the evening, when armed men reportedly entered the community and opened fire on residents. Eyewitnesses described the attack as coordinated, with multiple casualties recorded and several homes affected. Following the incident, the Plateau state government imposed a 48-hour curfew in parts of northern Jos to contain the situation. Despite the restriction, residents, including youth, were seen on the streets protesting the killings and blocking roads in some areas. Separate reports from Angwa Rukuba Junction, Eto Baba, and nearby student residential communities indicate that at least 10 people were killed during gunfire earlier on Sunday. A humanitarian worker, Alex Barbir, stated in a video shared on social media that the victims were Christians attacked on Palm Sunday. Residents gave differing accounts of the attackers. One witness described them as members of Boko Haram, while another alleged they were armed Fulani militia who arrived on motorcycles, fired sporadically, and retreated toward nearby mountainous areas. As of the time of reporting, security agencies had not issued an official statement confirming the identity of the attackers. Local sources advised students living near the affected areas to remain indoors as tensions persisted. Kaduna Attack In a separate incident in Kaduna state, gunmen killed at least 13 people in an early morning attack on Kahir village in Kagarko Local Government Area on Sunday. Local sources said the victims were attending a bachelor’s party when armed men opened fire. A resident, Habila Markus, reported that several of his family members were among those killed. Others sustained injuries and received medical treatment. Authorities identified victims in the Kahir, Kadda, and Kukyer communities, with those killed ranging in age from 21 to 31 years, according to community records. Pattern of Attacks During Holy Week Data compiled from previous reports indicates that attacks have occurred in Plateau state during the Easter period in recent years. In 2025, a report by International Christian Concern (ICC) documented the killing of at least 54 Christians in Zikke village near Jos following Palm Sunday celebrations, along with the destruction of more than 100 households. In 2024, four people died in Njukkudel and Tangur in Bokkos Local Government Area on Easter Monday. Earlier incidents in 2021 and 2022 included attacks during Easter weekend that resulted in the destruction of homes and the displacement of residents. In 2020, nine people, including children and a pregnant woman, were reported killed in Hura-Maiyanga in Bassa Local Government Area during Holy Week. The 2026 incidents in Jos and Kagarko occurred during the same Palm Sunday period, adding to a series of reported attacks in Plateau state and surrounding areas during the Easter season in recent years. To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. Since 1995, ICC has served the global persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of assistance, advocacy, and awareness. ICC exists to bandage the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church in the toughest parts of the world.

Muslims kidnap over 150 people from 2 churches in Nigeria this past Sunday

 The government of Nigeria claims that Muslims are not attacking Christians, but Muslim bandits kidnapped 163 people from two churches two days ago.  For US President Donald Trump, a broken clock is right twice a day.  Here is the article from International Christian Concern (ICC).

Nigerian officials said that 163 worshippers were kidnapped on Sunday when heavily armed bandits raided at least two churches during services.  

The abductions reportedly occurred in a rural Christian community in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna state in north-central Nigeria.

Sunday’s attack “was carried out by bandits who arrived in large numbers, while the worshippers were in the middle of the service,” Rev. Joseph Hayab, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the country’s north, told media outlets on Monday. “172 people were initially abducted, but nine of them escaped immediately after the attack."  

Local authorities were still investigating the incident and confirming the number of worshippers kidnapped. No group has claimed responsibility.  

This is the latest in a series of highly publicized kidnappings. In November 2025, armed assailants raided the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Pairi, Niger state. Some 303 children and 12 teachers were abducted in the raid, though the figure was later lowered. All the students either escaped, were rescued by security forces, or were released before Christmas. International Christian Concern (ICC) President Shawn Wright issued a call to action for U.S. and Nigerian leaders after the kidnapping.

“I am deeply troubled by the news of the abduction of more than 160 worshippers in Nigeria,” Wright said. “This is a cruel act against innocent people gathered to worship. I ask people around the world to join me in praying for the safe return of those taken, for comfort for their families, and for peace to replace this violence. We must stand together in compassion and hope.”

Criminal elements, bandits, and radical Islamic groups like Boko Haram often target Christian communities in rural areas that have scant security. In April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in the town of Chibok in Borno state, Nigeria.

“These frequent attacks on worshippers in their places of worship, irrespective of religion, represent the inability of this government to protect the constitutionally enshrined right to freedom of worship,” said Ini Ememobong, national publicity secretary at People’s Democratic Party Head Office, which has been critical of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC). “Nigerians must not live in fear when going to churches or mosques to worship. The entrenchment of such brazen criminality under this administration is totally unacceptable.”

The Trump administration named Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for not protecting Christians and ordered the bombing of Islamic State terrorists. Nigerian officials have not had an effective response to the violence or protected vulnerable communities, such as in southern Kaduna state, where Muslim extremists have attacked Christians.

“The protection of citizens is the government’s primary constitutional responsibility. Every Nigerian deserves to worship in safety,” Ememobong said. “The Tinubu administration must demonstrate that Nigerian lives matter through immediate action, not empty promises. The families of the 163 kidnap victims anxiously await their return.”

Boko Haram is one of several militant groups working in Nigeria with ties to radical Islam. The terrorist group has highly targeted Christians, but also the government, and Muslims who haven’t joined their cause. After Boko Haram declared allegiance to the Islamic State in 2015, part of the group splintered a year later into a separate terrorist group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Radical Fulani militants and herders also kill and target Christian farmers.

ICC has served persecuted Christians in Nigeria for decades and documented countless attacks through news articles and special reports. To help persecuted believers, ICC has launched aid projects, such as communal farms and Christian schools in Nigeria, and supported legislation on Capitol Hill that has pressured Nigerian officials. Nigeria has also been featured in ICC’s annual Global Persecution Index as one of the worst places to be a believer in Christ.

To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. To support ICC’s work around the world, please give to our Where Most Needed Fund.