An evening raid in Bokkos County, Nigeria, has claimed the lives of 11 Christians within the small farming community.
The attack is believed to be the handiwork of Fulani militants. Among those killed were a pregnant woman and her husband and a 10-year-old girl.
The attack, which lasted for around 45 minutes, targeted a gaggle of villagers within the village of Ruwi who had gathered to pay their respects to an 87-year-old community elder.
According to International Christian Concern, locals have complained that the authorities usually are not doing enough to guard them. The Nigerian army and other security personnel were stationed a brief distance from where the attack took place.
Some Christian leaders in Nigeria have told of instances where their communities were notified upfront that an attack was coming and that, despite passing this on to the safety services, no protection forces materialised, leading to more deaths.
Amnesty International Nigeria called on the authorities to do more to guard extraordinary residents, “The inaction of authorities has left people exposed to violence, leading to devastating losses.”
Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, Plateau State Governor, condemned the attack in a press release, adding that more needed to be done to enhance security within the state, “This brutal assault isn’t just an attack on individuals on our shared humanity. We will work tirelessly to make sure those responsible are delivered to justice.”
Last week a Nigerian bishop warned the British House of Lords that the situation in Nigeria continues to deteriorate. Bishop Wilfred Anagbe from the Makurdi region said that anti-Christian massacres at Christmas have gotten “customary” in parts of the country.
He also called on the British government to link diplomatic and economic relations with Nigeria to the latter’s ability to assist internally displaced people return to their homes and to offer victims justice and compensation for the crimes committed against them by militants.
