Armed Fulani militants killed five Christians and wounded three others in a recent attack on a church in northwest Nigeria’s Kaduna State. The assault is the latest in a series of violent attacks targeting Christian communities in the region.
On Friday, 11 July, the attackers stormed a Bible study and prayer meeting at an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Kampani village, Kajuru County. The victims were identified as Victor Haruna, Dogara Jatau, Luka Yari, Jesse Dalami, and Bawu John. Three others sustained injuries during the attack.
“This is the current reality in many communities across Kajuru and Kachia areas,” one resident said. “We live in constant fear, unable to sleep in our homes or farm safely.”
Local sources report that at least 110 people have been kidnapped from mainly Christian villages in Kajuru County over the past six months. Villages affected include Bauda, Unguwan Yashi, Unguwan Mulki, Makyali, Ungwan Mudi Doka, and Unguwar Rogo.
On 28 June, the village head of Bauda, Obadiah Iguda, was abducted in a midnight raid. On 12 March, Fulani militants kidnapped ten villagers from three communities and killed a pastor in Unguwan Mulki. Thirty more people were taken in that incident, with only eight managing to escape.
Earlier, on 10 March, 61 Christians were abducted in Buda village, and on 18 January, villagers attending a funeral in Agama were also taken. Many of the victims remain missing, with no communication from their captors.
In addition to the kidnappings, Fulani militants have destroyed properties and places of worship. In Unguwar Rogo, they set fire to an ECWA church and several homes, looting and burning what they could not carry away.
Locals continue to appeal to the Nigerian government for protection and urgent intervention. “We are being attacked repeatedly, and nothing is being done to stop it,” a resident said.
A 2020 report by the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief noted that while many Fulani herders do not support violence, a radical faction among them has adopted tactics similar to Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), with a focus on attacking Christians.
Christian leaders say the violence is part of a broader campaign to displace Christian communities and expand Islamic influence, particularly as environmental changes drive herders into new regions.
Nigeria continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians. According to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, 3,100 of the 4,476 Christians killed worldwide for their faith were from Nigeria.
In the country's Middle Belt, Fulani extremists and jihadist groups continue to target Christian farming communities with increasing brutality, while new extremist groups like Lakurawa have emerged in the northwest, armed and supported by global Islamist networks.
Please continue to pray for protection, justice, and peace in Nigeria’s Christian communities.
Article adapted from reporting by Christian Daily International – Morning Star News.
