Ochi Igbade, one of many 4 Christians killed in assault on Otobi Akpa village, Benue state, Nigeria on Jan. 12, 2026. (Fb)
ABUJA, Nigeria (Christian Day by day Worldwide–Morning Star Information) – Fulani herdsmen in Benue state, Nigeria killed 4 Christians on Monday (Jan. 12) and 9 others on Jan. 5-6, sources mentioned.
In Otobi Akpa village, Otukpo County, Fulani herdsmen arrived at midnight on Monday and shot 4 Christians who had been asleep of their houses, mentioned resident Franca Akipu, who mentioned dozens of others stay lacking.
“The assault was carried out by Fulani herdsmen,” she informed Christian Day by day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “They shot at individuals who had been sleeping. The gunshots had been so loud that my mum was in panic all through the night time. Please hold my group in your prayers.”
Akipu recognized the slain Christians as Ochi Igbade, Eje Uzu, Alinko and Achibi.
Beforehand Fulanis had attacked the village on April 15, killing 13 Christians and burning down 50 homes, she mentioned. Neighborhood chief Adikwu Ogbe mentioned they had been attacked at about 6 p.m. on that day.
“The armed herdsmen invaded our group, capturing sporadically at anybody they sighted,” Ogebe informed Christian Day by day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “And after they retreated, 13 of our Christian members had been killed, whereas 50 homes had been destroyed.”
In two different counties in Benue state, herdsmen killed 5 Christian on Jan. 6 and 4 others on Jan. 5, residents mentioned.
In Kwande County, Fulani herdsmen on Jan. 6 killed 5 Christians as they had been engaged on their farms in Udeku Maav-Ya village at about 4 p.m.
“This incident shouldn’t be the primary on this space, as these Fulani herdsmen have been persistent in attacking our communities,” mentioned Tersua Yarkwan, chairman of the Kwande Native Authorities Council.
Council member Akerigba Lawrence additionally famous that residents of the world’s predominantly Christian villages “have consistently confronted sustained assaults and destruction of their houses and farms.”
In Ikyaghev village, Guma County, herdsmen on Jan. 5 killed 4 Christians, mentioned Maurice Orwough, Guma Council Chairman.
“The farmers had been engaged on their farms when the herdsmen attacked them round 10 a.m.,” Orwough informed Christian Day by day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “The 4 Christians are members of the identical household.”
James Melvin Ejeh, Agatu Council chairman, mentioned there have been “deliberate and systematic assaults in opposition to Christians in some our communities by herdsmen which have resulted in lack of lives and destruction of property.”
In Ukum County, armed herdsmen additionally on Thursday (Jan. 8) attacked farmers in predominantly Christian Adogo village, destroying crops, mentioned resident Thomas Ikyase. Communiy chief Aule Gba added, “Farmers in my group had been attacked by Fulani terrorists. They pressured our folks to flee from their houses.”
Herdsmen assaults additionally occurred in December. In Okpokwu County, Fulani herdsmen on Dec. 30 attacked a funeral in Owewe village, mentioned resident Isaac Audu. Sunday Oche, chairman of the Ado Native Authorities Council, famous that herdsmen additionally attacked the predominately Christian villages of Ijigban, Ulayi and Utonkon on Dec. 9.
“The herdsmen’s sample of violence consists of, attacking mourners, ambushing farmers, and inflicting machete reduce wounds on Christian victims,” Oche mentioned.
In an assault on predominantly Christian Mbamondo Ukembergya village in Brand County on Dec. 7, herdsmen killed 4 Christians, mentioned resident Simon Chia.
“Fulani herdsmen are killing harmless Christians virtually every day,” Chia mentioned. “That is the scenario we face in Brand Native Authorities Space of Benue state.”
Numbering within the thousands and thousands throughout Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise tons of of clans of many various lineages who don’t maintain extremist views, however some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the UK’s All-Get together Parliamentary Group for Worldwide Freedom or Perception (APPG) famous in a 2020 report.
“They undertake a comparable technique to Boko Haram and ISWAP and show a transparent intent to focus on Christians and potent symbols of Christian id,” the APPG report states.
Christian leaders in Nigeria have mentioned they imagine herdsmen assaults on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Center Belt are impressed by their need to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it troublesome for them to maintain their herds.
Nigeria remained among the many most harmful locations on earth for Christians, based on Open Doorways’ 2025 World Watch Record of the nations the place it’s most troublesome to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for his or her religion worldwide through the reporting interval, 3,100 (69 p.c) had been in Nigeria, based on the WWL.
“The measure of anti-Christian violence within the nation is already on the most potential underneath World Watch Record 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 tons of, Christians above all, based on the report. Jihadist teams comparable to Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), amongst others, are additionally lively 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, based on 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 record of the 50 worst nations for Christians.
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