Nigerian Christians faced a series of brutal assaults on Easter Sunday, as suspected jihadist groups launched attacks in at least five states across the country. These incidents included direct assaults on Easter services, the mass abduction of individuals, and indiscriminate shootings targeting local residents.
These tragic events came on the heels of a massacre on Palm Sunday, which is the Sunday before Easter and marks the start of Holy Week. That attack claimed at least 30 lives in Plateau State, which has become one of the most perilous regions in Nigeria for Christians.
Nigeria is frequently cited by human rights organizations as the most dangerous country in the world for Christians due to the significant number of deaths each year in targeted attacks. These attacks are often attributed to various Islamist terrorist groups, including the Islamic State, Boko Haram, and the Fulani militants operating in the Middle Belt. Despite the clear identity of these aggressors, Nigerian Christians often express frustration that the federal government downplays the Islamic motivations behind these attacks and denies the existence of systemic persecution against Christians.
In November, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu responded to the United States’ designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom. “The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it consider the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” Tinubu stated.
The Nigerian newspaper Vanguard reported on Monday that two of the Easter Sunday attacks occurred in Benue and Kaduna states. Benue, located in the Middle Belt, has a significant Christian population, while Kaduna is known as a sharia state with a Christian minority. In Benue, the assailants were identified as “suspected armed herdsmen,” a phrase often used to describe Fulani jihadists who target Christian communities.
According to the report, “The attackers, numbering over 50, set homes, the local market, and food barns ablaze. Several others remain missing.” Initial reports confirmed at least nine deaths from the attack, but the Premium Times later updated the death toll to at least 17, citing government sources. Locals noted that the attack appeared to specifically target Easter celebrations.
“As people tried to flee, the gunmen opened fire, killing innocent residents. Nine bodies have been recovered, but many are still missing,” an anonymous resident was quoted as saying.
In Kaduna, Nigerian media reported that unspecified “terrorists” opened fire on two Christian churches in Ariko, identified as First ECWA Church and St. Augustine Catholic Church, killing at least seven people. During this attack, the terrorists attempted to abduct dozens of people, and reportedly succeeded in taking away a number authorities have not confirmed at press time. The Nigerian military nonetheless boasted that it engaged heavily with the terrorists, resulting in the liberation of 31 Christians the terrorists attempted to abduct.
“Military sources said troops engaged the terrorists in a fierce firefight, forcing them to abandon the hostages,” Vanguard reported.
Local Katsina councillor Mark Bawa reportedly lamented to Punch, another Nigerian outlet, that despite the rescue, the government response to the attack was slow. He blamed “poor telecommunications coverage in the area.”
In northeastern Borno state, historically the cradle of the jihadist terror attack by Boko Haram, local authorities also reported coordinated community attacks. The reports did not specify the nature of the attacks, but did identify the attackers as members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Boko Haram and ISWAP were once the same group, when Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in the Middle East, but reportedly splintered after his death over disagreement about continuing to follow the global ISIS infrastructure. Local media reported that five people were killed, four of them police, in the Borno attacks this weekend.
“The terrorists deployed rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and other weapons, damaging part of the [police] station and partially burning an unserviceable armored personnel carrier,” Vanguard reported.
Vanguard documented yet another “terrorist” attack in Plateau state, in the heart of the devastated Middle Belt, beginning around midnight between Saturday and Sunday. This attack killed three people and reportedly targeted a group that was established to protect the area in the absence of any meaningful government-provided security against jihadist groups.
The Nigerian newspaper Premium Times reported on Monday that another group of “attackers” targeted Katsina state, northwest Nigeria, in this case burning down a healthcare site and some local businesses. While the report only identified the attackers as “suspected bandits,” jihadists have been documented to use tactics such as the burning down of small businesses, churches, and other local community sites to displace Christians, forcing them from their indigenous homes and allowing the roving jihadists to steal the land.
“Despite repeated military operations and government assurances, attacks in local government areas such as Matazu, Malumfashi, and Funtua have remained frequent, often involving killings, abductions, and destruction of livelihoods,” Premium Times lamented.
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