The Rev Ezekiel Dachomo, a senior pastor with the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), has issued a passionate appeal to the United States government and the international community to act urgently to stop what he describes as an ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. His plea follows a series of coordinated attacks by armed Fulani extremists on 14 October in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State, which left at least 13 Christians dead, several others injured, and many families displaced.
Speaking to International Christian Concern (ICC) after the mass burial of victims in Rachas village, Rev Dachomo expressed frustration over the government’s failure to protect Christian communities, accusing authorities of complicity and denial in the face of mounting evidence of religiously motivated violence. “If telling the truth will cost me my life, then I have chosen to die telling it,” he said. “There is a genocide going on in Nigeria, and the world must hear about it. Christians are being hunted, killed, and displaced because of their faith, yet the government remains silent or even protects the perpetrators.”
According to eyewitnesses, heavily armed militants attacked the Christian villages of Rawuru, Tatu, and Lawuru during the night. In Rawuru, gunmen stormed a mission centre during evening prayers, shooting worshippers and killing two people as others fled into the bush. The militants then moved on to Tatu, where ten Christians were executed, homes and farmland were set ablaze, and livestock stolen. In Lawuru, two more were killed, bringing the total death toll to 13. At least 38 cows were taken, and large areas of cultivated land destroyed.
Local residents said they had warned security forces in advance about threats but received no protection. “We informed the authorities that our communities were under threat,” said a church elder in Rawuru. “But no one came to our aid. Now we are burying our loved ones.”
The attacks in Barkin Ladi reflect a long-standing pattern of violence against Christian farming communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt, including Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Taraba states. For more than a decade, armed groups linked to Islamic Fulani extremists have carried out raids that have killed thousands and displaced countless families. Despite evidence of religiously targeted violence, the federal government continues to label the crisis as “farmer-herder clashes”, a description that survivors and faith leaders dismiss as misleading.
Rev Dachomo revealed that he was recently accused by soldiers from the Nigerian Army’s Sector 4 in Barkin Ladi of inciting unrest simply for warning communities of impending attacks. “They accused me of knowing about the attack before it happened, just because I raised an alarm,” he said. “Instead of protecting us, they label us the problem. How can we trust a system that accuses victims instead of helping them?”
Local officials have condemned the violence. Hon. Stephen Gyang Pwajok, Executive Chairman of Barkin Ladi LGA, described the attacks as an attempt to displace indigenous Christian communities from their ancestral lands. “These are unprovoked assaults,” he said. “Our people are being systematically wiped out. This cannot continue.”
Da Paul Tadi-Tok, the district head of Heipang, called for the revival of Operation Rainbow, a community-based security initiative aimed at strengthening local defence. Brigadier General Shippi Gakji Goshwe (Rtd.), security adviser to the Plateau State governor, confirmed that new recruits were being trained to boost rural surveillance. However, villagers remain sceptical, citing years of unfulfilled promises and repeated attacks.
Known for his fearless advocacy, Rev Dachomo said both he and investigative journalist Masara Kim have become targets for exposing the truth about persecution in Plateau State. “We are now marked men,” he said. “But I will not be silent. The God who healed me from cancer in India will also save me from the cancer of terrorism destroying Nigeria.”
He issued a direct plea to world leaders, naming former U.S. President Donald Trump among those he hopes will intervene. “The genocide against Christians in Nigeria must stop,” he said. “The world cannot continue to look away.”
The ongoing violence has fuelled a worsening humanitarian emergency. Thousands of displaced families now live in temporary shelters and church compounds, with little access to food, clean water, or medical care. Local churches and aid organisations are overwhelmed and are calling for international support and accountability mechanisms to prosecute those responsible.
As dusk fell over Rachas village, the thirteen coffins laid side by side told a painful story of loss. Standing among the mourners, Rev Dachomo’s voice trembled but remained anchored in faith. “We are not giving up,” he said. “Our blood cries for justice, and one day, justice will come. Until then, we ask the world to see us, to hear us, and to help us.”
Adapted from ICC.
