Islamists Kill Dozens In Nigeria’s Christian Heartland

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

ABUJA, NIGERIA (Worthy News) – Christians in two states of Nigeria have plunged into mourning after suspected Islamic militants killed at least 24 people in recent attacks amid mounting violence against Christian communities, sources said.

The bloodshed occurred in Benue and Plateau states in north-central Nigeria’s Middle Belt, the broad region separating the country’s predominantly Muslim north from its largely Christian south.

While Americans marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, families in Benue State were burying 11 people killed during an attack on their predominantly Christian farming community, noted the advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC).

Suspected armed Fulani militants invaded Ayilamo in Tombo Council Ward of Logo Local Government Area on Thursday, September 10, killing seven civilians and four police officers, according to the Benue State Police Command.

The community lies about 180 kilometers (112 miles) northeast of the state capital, Makurdi, near Benue’s borders with Taraba and Nasarawa states.

SEVEN-HOUR BATTLE

Police said the attack began at about 6:12 p.m., sparking a seven-hour gun battle with security forces before the assailants withdrew into surrounding forests.

Community security official Umishi Terungwa recalled that the attackers arrived in large numbers, crossing by boat from communities in neighboring Taraba and Nasarawa states.

“I narrowly escaped death because I hid myself on the rooftop,” Terungwa added. He said he heard the attackers speaking Fulani and chanting “Allahu Akbar” (“Allah is greatest”) while shooting and attacking residents.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Police confirmed that four officers were among those killed while confronting the attackers and said additional tactical personnel were subsequently deployed to the area.

CHRISTIAN FARMERS TARGETED

For residents of Ayilamo, the assault struck a community where farming provides a major source of livelihood. Residents describe the area as overwhelmingly Christian, with many families belonging to the Catholic Church.

The violence spread across the Middle Belt, with separate deadly attacks reported in neighboring Plateau State, whose capital, Jos, lies northeast of Abuja.

On Sunday night, September 13, gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying passengers toward Jos at Dungus Junction in Kuru District of Jos South Local Government Area, Christian investigators confirmed.

The attack occurred at about 9:40 p.m. local time, said Rwang Tengwong, spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders-Association, representing young people from Plateau State’s indigenous Berom community.

Nine passengers were killed, while others suffered gunshot wounds, according to Christians familiar with the situation.

PASSENGERS KILLED

Tengwong said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow, a state-backed community security initiative.

Resident Musa Dauda explained that some injured passengers later died while receiving treatment, while others remained hospitalized.

The Plateau State Police Command confirmed that unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on a Toyota bus carrying passengers toward Jos.

The same weekend brought further bloodshed elsewhere in Plateau. In Mangu Local Government Area, suspected attackers struck Vodni in Pushit District, killing two people and injuring four others, according to local reports.

The injured were taken to a hospital in Mangu town, while two people were also reported killed at Tahoos in Riyom Local Government Area, Worthy News learned.

MORE PLATEAU DEATHS

The additional attacks brought the reported death toll from the violence in Benue and Plateau described here to at least 24.

Plateau authorities said they were working with security agencies, traditional institutions and community leaders to strengthen security through intelligence sharing and community engagement.

The attacks add to years of violence affecting Christian farming communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt, as disputes over land, grazing and resources have increasingly overlapped with wider Islamist attacks.

Christian advocacy group Open Doors ranks Nigeria seventh on its 2026 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it says Christians face the most severe persecution, giving the country an “extreme” persecution score of 89 out of 100.

Open Doors says Nigeria remains the global epicenter of deadly violence against Christians, citing attacks by militant Fulani groups, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province and emerging extremist organizations, compounded by weak governance, organized crime and instability.

DEADLY PERSECUTION

The organization said 3,490 of the 4,849 Christians it recorded as killed for their faith worldwide during the 2026 World Watch List reporting period were Nigerians.

Open Doors says militant Fulani attacks have particularly affected Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, while Boko Haram and Islamic State-linked militants have continued attacks elsewhere, especially in northern parts of Africa’s most populous nation.

The violence has displaced large numbers of Christians and left farming communities particularly vulnerable, with repeated attacks occurring despite government pledges to improve security.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

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