by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ABUJA (Worthy News) – Christians in Nigeria’s central Benue state were mourning on Wednesday seven believers reportedly killed by Islamic Fulani herdsmen in escalating anti-Christian attacks.
The killings in Guma County included two Christians murdered on Aug. 24 in Tse Orkpe village and five others slain earlier in the month, local residents said.
It was the same area where as many as 200 Christians were massacred in June in Yelwata village during two days of violence. Nigeria’s secret service later said it arrested two suspects linked to those massacres.
Witnesses said that in the most recent attacks, armed herdsmen ambushed farmers “as if they were animals” and blocked rural roads, making travel deadly.
Police confirmed multiple assaults in August, saying three villagers were killed in Yelwata after officers repelled gunmen elsewhere.
MOST DANGEROUS
Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians.
Nearly 70 percent of all believers killed for their faith worldwide in 2024—about 3,100 of 4,476—were in Nigeria, according to advocacy group Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List.
The country ranked seventh among the 50 nations where Christians face the most persecution.
Despite the violence, Christianity continues to grow—rising from 60 million adherents in 2000 to an estimated 96 million in 2020, with projections of 155 million by 2050, Worthy News documented.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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