Forty-six Christians were killed over two days after terrorists in Nigeria targeted Christian villages, according to a new report.
The killings happened on June 3 and 4 in the southern Nigerian villages of Michihe, Achamegh and Mbagene Kpav, and Imande Mbakange, Morning Star News reported. In the wake of the killings, local leaders have accused Nigeria’s government of turning a blind eye to the violence.
“Altogether, 46 Christians were killed by the terrorists in the two days of attacks on our communities,” a statement from the Shitile Development Association (SDA) said. “Most disturbing also is the fact that the identity of the perpetrators is known to security agencies and the Nigerian government, and yet nothing has been done to end this carnage.”
Militant Islamic Fulani herdsmen, a nomadic group that is known to frequently attack Christians in the African country, have been accused of orchestrating the attacks. The recent attack comes as some religious freedom advocates have said that the persecution of Christians in the African nation should be seen as genocide.
“As our people are fleeing, herders are occupying these areas and grazing freely on our farms,” the statement from the SDA said. “Though due to the fear of general insecurity, it is difficult to move from village to village to gather exact statistics, hordes of lives have been horrendously eliminated in several villages across the land, such that the whole land is thrown into wailing and mourning.”
Local council official Alfred Atera condemned the attacks, calling on the security agencies to end the violence.
“These senseless killings by the terrorists are inhuman and barbaric. I call on all security agencies to double their efforts in combating these renewed attacks as a matter of urgency,” Atera said.
Police in Benue, the state where the attacks took place, said that they had sent police and security personnel to the area to stop the violence.
The attack in Benue follows weeks of recent attacks in the Plateau state, where 28 Christian churches were destroyed and a reported 300 Christians killed. The destruction reportedly led to the displacement of about 30,000 Christians in the state.
A recent report put out by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) estimated that over 5,000 Nigerian Christians were killed in 2022 while over 3,000 were kidnapped.
The perpetrators are believed to be members of radical Islamic terror groups, including Fulani herdsmen groups, Boko Haram, and ISAWP (Islamic State West Africa Province).