Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed five Christians early Sunday morning (Jan. 22) in northeast Nigeria, following the slaughter of 12 Christians on Friday (Jan. 20) in the country’s Middle Belt, Morning Star News reported.
In Bauchi state’s Tafawa Balewa County, area residents said herdsmen attacked a predominantly Christian community, killing five Christians and kidnapping another.
A local resident concurred that the assailants were “armed Fulani terrorists,” saying in a text message to Morning Star News that one of those slain was a member of his family.
Tafawa Balewa, a Christian-majority area, has been attacked by Islamic terrorists and predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen for several years. Many of the villages lie in ruins, made desolate by attacks that drove Christian survivors to other parts of Nigeria.
In Benue state, in the country’s Middle Belt, armed Fulani herdsmen in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 20 invaded the predominantly Christian community of Abagena, near Makurdi, the state capital, and killed 12 Christians, area residents said in text messages to Morning Star News.
From Jan. 3 to Jan. 5, armed herdsmen also attacked Nagi and Tse-Girgi Dajo villages, predominantly Christian communities in Gwer West County of Benue state, area sources said. Four Christians were injured.
In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
