by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ABUJA, NIGERIA (Worthy News) – Christian survivors were mourning and recovering from injuries Wednesday after suspected Islamic Fulani herdsmen attacked three predominantly Christian villages in central Nigeria’s Plateau State, killing at least 11 Christians and wounding five others, residents said.
The deadliest known assault occurred on Sunday, May 3, in Fan village in Barkin Ladi County, where five Christians were ambushed and shot dead at about 9 p.m. while returning home from work, residents told Morning Star News, a Christian news service.
Community leader Rwang Tengwong confirmed the attack, saying all residents of Fan village are Christians.
In nearby Kassa village, two Christians were reportedly killed on April 27, while four Christians died and five others were injured in another attack on Hurum village on April 19, residents said.
“God have mercy and rescue us from armed Fulani band,” resident Florence Yohanna said after the Hurum attack.
CHRISTIANS TARGETED
According to advocacy group Open Doors, more Christians were killed in Nigeria than in any other country between October 2024 and September 2025.
The group said 3,490 Christians — about 72 percent of all Christians killed worldwide for their faith during that period — were Nigerians.
Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution and discrimination.
While millions of Fulani across Nigeria are not extremists, security analysts and Christian leaders say some armed Fulani groups have adopted radical Islamist ideology and increasingly target Christian farming communities, especially in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.
Advocates say the violence is fueled by a mix of religious extremism, land disputes, and desertification pressures, while jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, continue to expand attacks across parts of the country.
Nigeria’s government has come under mounting pressure to improve protection for Christians in areas with large Muslim populations.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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