On September 27, a group of Fulani herdsman attacked several Christian homes in the city of Jos, the capital city of the Plateau State of Nigeria, murdering several civilians, including women and children.
The militants attacked people in the Rukuba Road district of north-central Jos, where they roamed the streets, breaking into homes and shooting the occupants, according to the New Telegraph.
Rogu Audu, a witness who lost his mother and two children in the raid, told the Morning Star News that the Fulani herdsmen came from the a nearby wildlife park.
“The park is located in the southern flank of Rukuba Road and has rocky hills, which provided the attackers with cover to enable them to invade our community,” he said. “When the Fulani herdsmen came, they shot into the house randomly, breaking and forcing their way into rooms shooting defenseless women and children and anyone in sight.”
The mournful Audu explained that the radicals attacked his uncle’s home, where his eighteen year old cousin, Blessing, was murdered by the assailants, along with four other female relatives.
Nigerian army spokesman Major Umar Adam said that the military will secure the neighborhood to prevent more attacks, the Daily Mail reports. “The situation now is relatively calm,” he said on Friday. “Patrols have been intensified to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order.”
While initial reports stated that eleven had been killed, later estimates reported the death toll to be between fourteen and seventeen.
This follows the June mass murder of over two hundred Christians living in the African nation perpetrated by the radical Islamic militants.
The Christian Association of Nigeria have called the constant attacks by the radical Muslim Fulani militants “pure genocide.” The organization said in a statement, “What is happening in Plateau state and other select states in Nigeria is pure genocide and must be stopped immediately.”