Motorcycle Attack Leaves Farmers Dead in Nigeria
Violence in Nigeria’s farming regions again left Christian villagers dead over the weekend. In Benue State, reports said armed men on motorcycles opened fire on people working in the fields. At least four were killed, while some accounts put the toll at five.
TruthNigeria reported that Fulani militia members carried out the attack on Saturday. Residents said dozens of attackers swept in on motorcycles and shot at villagers in the open. The victims were caught while doing farm work, with others wounded and one person still missing.
Damian Attah, a security analyst at Benue State University, said, “Five people, three men and two women, were killed on the spot, while several others were seriously injured and are receiving treatment. One person remains missing,”
Local officials say the problem is bigger than one village. Victor Ormin, chairman of Gwer-West Local Government Area, said the Nigerian government needs to step in. “We are losing entire communities to these Fulani attackers. Our farmers can no longer access their land safely. We need sustained military presence and proactive operations, not just responses after lives have been lost,” Ormin said.
More bloodshed was reported in Plateau state, where at least eight Christians were killed and 10 more were wounded, according to persecution.org. The attacks were spread across four local government areas, showing how wide the violence has become.
Nanpet Dala, a volunteer with the International Community on Nigeria, said security forces were nearby but did not help. “Security operatives are very close to the place where the attack happened, but they intentionally refused to intervene,” Dala said.
The crisis has also drawn attention in Rome and Washington. U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch said last week that the situation of Christians in Nigeria was “intolerable,” according to the National Catholic Register. He added that Nigeria is torn by “conflict between radical Islamic groups and Christians because of their faith.”
“Unfortunately, there are extremist Islamic groups that have been targeting Christians specifically in their churches and their homes, and the scale and size of the persecution of Christians there is intolerable,” he said.
Burch also pointed to President Donald Trump’s concern for persecuted Christians. “The president has said that Christians face an existential crisis in Nigeria, and thanks to his leadership, he is now acting to bring an end to this. We have called on the Nigerian government to take necessary steps to protect Christians, and the United States government is now working in partnership with the Nigerian government to assist them in doing just that,” he remarked.
Steven Wagner, president of Solidarity with the Persecuted Church, said the pressure on Nigerian Christians must not be ignored. “As Nigeria goes, so goes Africa. More Christians are martyred for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country on earth,” he said. “There is a huge crisis of internally displaced persons. We are calling on the Vatican to increase public awareness of the problem and to continue to encourage the government of Nigeria to make progress in protecting its people,” Wagner added.