Death toll continues to rise after Christmas attacks on communities in Nigeria’s Plateau State

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, December 30, 2023

This image grab made from an AFPTV video taken in Maiyanga village, in Bokkos local government, on December 27, 2023, shows families burying in a mass grave their relatives killed in deadly attacks conducted by armed groups in Nigeria's central Plateau State. The death toll from a series of attacks on villages in central Nigeria has climbed to almost 200, local authorities said on December 27, 2023, as survivors began to bury the dead. Armed groups launched attacks between December 23, 2023, and December 26, 2023, in Nigeria's Plateau State, a region plagued for several years by religious and ethnic tensions. | KIM MASARA/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

The coordinated attacks by militias of Fulani ethnicity on communities in Plateau State, Nigeria, between Dec. 23 and Dec. 26 have led to a rising death toll, with fatalities ranging from 148 to 195. About 300 people were injured, and thousands displaced in these assaults.

At least 25 communities across three Local Government Areas were targeted. Survivors recounted militia men attacking in large numbers, indiscriminately killing and destroying homes, vehicles, farmlands and other properties.

About 37 individuals, primarily women, children and the disabled, were burned to death in their homes. Eight churches and parsonages were also destroyed, according to the U.K.-based rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said Plateau State Commissioner of Information and Communication, Hon. Musa Ashoms, reported 195 people killed, and many others remain missing.

Amnesty International Nigeria reported 194 deaths, while the Nigerian Red Cross reported 161 deaths and 32,604 people affected.

The violence began around 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve with an assault on the Nisham community in Mangu LGA, continuing into Christmas Day in the Dares community in Bokkos LGA. Plateau State Gov. Caleb Mutfwang labeled the attacks as “pure terrorism.” CSW Nigeria confirmed the deaths of 115 individuals in 16 affected communities and the displacement of some 10,000 people.

The Middle Belt Forum identified the Mahanga Forest on the border between Bokkos and Nasarawa State as the militia’s hideout. Hon. Peter Ibrahim Gyendeng of the Plateau State House of Representatives, in an interview with Arise TV, stated that the militia are armed with sophisticated weapons.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, called for a prompt, independent investigation into the attacks, consistent with international human rights law. The Muslim umbrella group Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) also called for justice for the victims, warning of potential political and religious turmoil in Nigeria.

An anonymous message warned of an impending attack on the Pushit community in Mangu LGA.

The violence “was timed to disrupt the festive season in predominantly Christian areas, said Mervyn Thomas, founder and president of CSW, emphasizing the need for Nigerian authorities to prioritize the arrest and prosecution of these terrorists.

Witnesses described minimal security presence during the attacks, which lasted over seven hours, according to ICC. Timothy, a local from Mbar village in Bokkos County, and Naomi, a resident of Mayong, recounted the devastation and loss they experienced. “Many houses were burned including my church. I can’t say how many people were killed but we found more dead bodies today and we are looking for missing ones,” he was quoted as saying.

Ezekiel Peter Bini Condole, president of the Irigwe Youth Development Association, called on Nigeria President Bola Tinubu and U.S. President Joe Biden to intervene.

Nigeria has been listed in the ICC’s annual Persecutors of the Year report for the last three years due to the ongoing violence against Christians.

The assailants, often referred to as “bandits,” are a mix of criminal elements, including ethnic Fulani herders and mercenaries from Chad or Niger. They are well-armed and have been active in northern Nigeria for over a decade. Christian leaders believe these attacks are motivated by a desire to take over Christian lands and impose Islam.

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith in 2022, according to Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List report, which also noted the involvement of Fulani, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, in these raids.

The United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief in a 2020 report noted that while many Fulani do not hold extremist views, some adhere to radical Islamist ideology, targeting Christians and symbols of Christian identity.