Trailer truck rams Easter procession in Billiri, Gombe state, Nigeria on April 21, 2025. (Screenshot from video on Instagram guts104.9fm)
ABUJA, Nigeria (Christian Every day Worldwide–Morning Star Information) – Investigators have concluded {that a} trailer truck driver deliberately crashed into an Easter procession in Nigeria, killing six Christians, sources mentioned.
Greater than 30 Christians had been hospitalized when the truck on April 21 rammed an Easter Monday procession in Billiri, Gombe state, northeast Nigeria, officers mentioned.
Police initially tried to attribute the incident to brake failure, however a committee fashioned by Gombe state officers concluded that the driving force intentionally ploughed into the procession. Witnesses reportedly mentioned it neither slowed nor honked earlier than slamming by means of the procession, then had no bother coming to a halt.
The ad-hoc committee chairman, Rambi Ayala, instructed reporters that 18 of the injured had been nonetheless receiving remedy at hospitals in Gombe. He recognized the Christians killed as Grace David, Clement Lakason, Ephraim Ibrahim, Faida P. Uslas, Rejoice Mela and Reward Ayuba.
Andele Tadi and David Yohanna, two Billiri group leaders, mentioned in a press assertion that the 18-wheel trailer truck stuffed with grain bore down on the Christians from behind on the Tashan Gona junction.
“As quickly because the Muslim driver noticed the gang of Christians forward of him, he elevated his velocity and bumped into the group from behind them with out ever honking his horn,” they mentioned. “He mowed a number of Christians…A few of these Christians are completely maimed, and their lives won’t stay the identical.”
The driving force stopped the automobile and ran towards police observing the assault, Tadi and Yohanna mentioned.
“The law enforcement officials shortly put the driving force of their automobile and drove away with him, abandoning them each lifeless and dwell our bodies trapped beneath the loaded trailer of the driving force,” they mentioned. “Rejoicing and dancing had now become weeping and wailing. Some Christians got here to the rescue of the victims and tried to take away them from beneath the heavy automobile.”
The injured had been rushed to Normal Hospital Billiri, however there have been no emergency objects and drugs there, they mentioned.
“The hospital pharmacy itself was closed, and there was nobody on obligation,” they mentioned. “The volunteer medical employees who had been there needed to get the emergency medicine and objects from a close-by pharmacy.”
The assault by the driving force, recognized by Gombe State Police as Usman Muhammed, adopted an earlier incident that morning in Billiri, they mentioned. At about 6:30 a.m., a automobile bumped into a person and his daughter on a motorbike who had been coming from the Easter service.
“This primary incident occurred on the entrance to the Federal Authorities School, Billiri,” they mentioned. “The younger Christian woman sustained some accidents, and her leg was bandaged to scale back bleeding. Her dad took her away for medical consideration.”
Throughout Christmas celebrations final December within the metropolis of Gombe, “a truck drove by a Muslim driver ran right into a crowd of Christians, and as much as 15 Christians had been injured,” they mentioned. “Now we see a repeat of this in Billiri city.”
In 2019, they added, a Muslim police officer intentionally drove his automotive into a gaggle of Christian youths, members of the Boys Brigade who had been celebrating Easter within the metropolis of Gombe, killing 10 of them injuring greater than 30.
Buhari Abdullahi, spokesman for the Gombe State Police Command, mentioned in a press assertion that the truck driver, Muhammed, has been charged in courtroom.
“Usman Muhammed, male, 28 years previous, of Afghanistan Quarters, has been formally charged with (1) thoughtless driving and (2) inflicting loss of life by harmful driving, and the matter will proceed to courtroom,” Abdullahi mentioned.
Space resident Nathaniel Chechera mentioned what started as a joyful Easter celebration become a tragedy.
“Christians who had been merely out to specific their religion and pleasure had been pressured into mourning,” Chechera instructed Morning Star Information, including that such assaults have develop into a pastime for terrorists who derive pleasure in killing Christians as they see these acts as jihad and worship of Allah.
“This isn’t the primary time. Christian festive seasons in Gombe are more and more changing into moments of sorrow due to the reckless and heartless actions of some Muslim truck drivers,” Chechera mentioned. “This cycle of bloodshed in Gombe state should finish as they aren’t simply ‘accidents.’ They’re avoidable tragedies.”
Hephen Yerima, one other Billiri city resident, mentioned his coronary heart was heavy.
“As soon as once more, tragedy has struck throughout an Easter rally in Gombe state. Lives misplaced, households shattered and goals lower brief,” Yerima instructed Morning Star Information. “This isn’t the primary time. It’s truly the third. That is changing into a heartbreaking sample. This constant lack of lives is a focused sample towards Christians.”
Nigeria remained among the many most harmful locations on earth for Christians, in line with Open Doorways’ 2025 World Watch Listing of the international locations the place it’s most troublesome to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for his or her religion worldwide in the course of the reporting interval, 3,100 (69 %) had been in Nigeria, in line with the WWL.
“The measure of anti-Christian violence within the nation is already on the most attainable beneath World Watch Listing methodology,” the report said.
Within the nation’s North-Central zone, the place Christians are extra frequent than they’re within the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia assault farming communities, killing many a whole lot, Christians above all, in line with the report. Jihadist teams comparable to Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), amongst others, are additionally energetic within the nation’s northern states, the place federal authorities management is scant and Christians and their communities proceed to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, in line with the report. Abductions for ransom have elevated significantly in recent times.
The violence has unfold to southern states, and a brand new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged within the northwest, armed with superior weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL famous. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.
Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2025 WWL listing of the 50 worst international locations for Christians.
If you need to assist persecuted Christians, go to https://morningstarnews.org/assets/aid-agencies/ for a listing of organizations that may orient you on the best way to get entangled.
In case you or your group want to assist allow Morning Star Information to proceed elevating consciousness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please contemplate collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?
###
© 2025 Christian Every day Innternational-Morning Star Information. Articles/pictures could also be reprinted with credit score to Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. https://morningstarnews.org
Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/
Fb: https://www.fb.com/MorningStarNews
Morning Star Information is a 501(c)(3) non-profit company that depends solely on contributions to supply authentic information experiences of persecuted Christians. By offering dependable information on the struggling church, Morning Star Information’ mission is to empower these within the free world to assist and to encourage persecuted Christians that they aren’t forgotten or alone. Without spending a dime subscription, contact editor@morningstarnews.org; to make tax-deductible donations, go to https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or ship verify to Morning Star Information, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Seaside, CA 92624, USA.
The put up Truck Ramming into Easter Procession in Nigeria Dominated Intentional appeared first on Morningstar Information.
