By Zo Terrana
Staff Writer
During a Palm Sunday celebration in Nigeria on April 13, at least 54 Christians were reportedly killed at the hands of Islamic Fulani herdsmen, according to DailyWrap. The attack was carried out on a Nigerian Christian farming community in North-Central Nigeria, according to AP News.
The Fulani militants ambushed a small settlement of 3,000 people, shooting residents of the community and leaving dozens dead. The gunman reportedly left the village burnt and in ruins, but have not been apprehended by Nigerian authorities.
The Fulani people are of Muslim faith scattered throughout different parts of Africa, concentrated in Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Niger, according to Britannica. The Fulani people were originally pastoral, which entailed a predominantly nomadic life, engaging in the herding of domesticated livestock. The predominant Muslim Fulani militia has been historically involved with terrorist activities.
This specific attack, which lasted over one hour via eye witness accounts, was located in the village of Zike near Jos, Plateau state, according to TruthNigeria. Local leaders of the Nigerian Zike community have stated that the attack was “a targeted act of genocide against the Christian community” according to Persecution.org.
Following the massacre, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation into the attack, instructing security agents to find the extremists responsible for the crisis. Tinubu sent his condolences to the victims' families.
Andy Yakubu, a local eye witness and resident of the community, stated that the gunmen pillaged and destroyed homes within the Zike community, according to AP News. However, no arrests have been made, according to Yakubu.
The mass amount of deaths could be attributed to the community's environment. According to TruthNigeria, the community wasn't defended by community guards, cell phone connection was inconsistent and surrounding roads were “primitive,” making escapes from the gunmen nearly impossible. The community was seen as a vulnerable target for the Fulani militia.
The gunmen mercilessly left behind a massacre of deceased women, children and elderly people. Residents have said 103 family households have been destroyed and a major portion of the village population has been displaced, according to TruthNigeria.
Of the deceased victims, 10 were congregants of the Baptist Church in Zike headed by Pastor Ishaku Mathew Kure. Pastor Kure stated that he heard gunfire from a distance before he saw the militants approaching the church. He escaped with his family through the back door of the church, then watched the attack on a hill, according to TruthNigeria.
Kure questioned the attack, stating, “We obey the law as Christians, but I ask — how did the Fulani get guns, and we don’t? The government failed to protect us. If the Nigerian constitution allowed us to own guns, we would defend ourselves.”
In addition to the victims connected to the church, a wife of a TruthNigeria reporter lost eight family members in the massacre.
Eli Bako, a lawmaker in the Plateau State House of Assembly, representing the Rukuba and Irigwe constituency, went to the area following the attack. Chastising the security efforts of the agents, Bako stated that the security was a failure.
According to TruthNigeria, Bako stated, “One day, there will be no people left in this constituency. The security forces collect arms from the locals but don’t retrieve them from the Fulani.”
Tinubu’s administration has before announced new security parameters to halt increasing instability. Residents and local officials alike have not seen positive results produced thus far.
Tinubu, via a post on X responding to the attack, stated, “The Federal Government remains committed to supporting Governor Mutfwang and the Plateau State government in promoting dialogue, fostering social cohesion, and ensuring accountability — crucial steps towards permanently resolving the conflict in Plateau.”
The Palm Sunday massacre is only one event in a broader crisis transprining in Nigeria En masse. According to CBN, over 16,000 Christians were reportedly murdered in Nigeria from 2019 and 2023. In Plateau state alone, 1,336 people were killed between December 2023 and February 2024, as stated by AP News.
Since December 2024, approximately 75 people of the Christian-Nigerian ethnic group called Irigwe have been killed, according to AP News. Another attack in May 2024, which occurred during a night raid, involved armed men killing 40 people in Plateau. These attacks against Plateau state residents have made the death total reach 113 since the end of March, according to CBN.
