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Persecuted Christians 1 Corinthians 12:26 says that we are one body. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if o

07/06/2025

Slaughter of Christians Escalates in Plateau State, Nigeria
Survivors appeal for help as relatives are slain and homes burned.

By Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
ABUJA, Nigeria, June 6, 2025 (Christian Daily International-Morning Star News) – After slaughtering at least 50 Christians in one area of Plateau state, Nigeria in April, Fulani herdsmen this week killed five more in the same county, sources said.

In Bassa County, residents said Fulani herdsmen killed two Christians on Wednesday (June 4) in Nkienwhie village and three on Tuesday (June 3) in Kwall village.

“On 3 June, three Christians were killed in Kwall community when they were ambushed and attacked by Fulani herdsmen,” area youth leader Joseph Yonkpa told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News in a text message. “The three victims were shot and at the same time wounded with machetes.”

Yonkpa identified the three slain Christians as Sunday Ishaya, 37; Joshua Mishi, 51; and Range Kpeh, 32.

In May six area Christians were shot and wounded, and in April herdsmen killed 50 Christians in a single attack, he said.

“In April, more than 50 Christians were massacred by Fulani militias in Zike Kimakpa, a predominantly Christian community,” Yonkpa said. “We have been the continuous target of Fulani militias for over two decades, with scores of Christians killed, thousands displaced, and destruction of an unquantifiable number of properties and farm crops.”

He called on international organizations, the International Criminal Court, Non-Governmental Organizations, private individuals and others to join in demanding justice for Christians facing persecution in Plateau state.

On May 30, “Fulani militias” attacked Kpachudu village, shooting and wounding Ishaya Achi, a Christian who is receiving medical treatment at a health facility in Jos, he said. On May 14, herdsmen carried out large-scale destruction of farm crops belonging to Christian farmers at Ngbrrakunvu community, he added.

“This violent act has resulted in the destruction of nearly 100 farmsteads, covering over 40 hectares of cultivated land,” Yonkpa said. “This heinous act is not an isolated incident but rather a recurring pattern of aggression and lawlessness that has plagued Christians and for years, particularly during farming seasons.”

Despite the severity of such attacks, the assailants have consistently evaded justice, emboldening them to continue destructive activities, he said.

On May 14 at about 3 p.m. Fulani herders attacked two Christian women at Rikwe-Rishe village as they worked on their farm; they are receiving medical attention at a health care center in Jos, he said. On May 10, Fulani militias attacked Kigam community at about 4 p.m. and killed two Christians; one identified as Daniel Bawa, 45, was slain as he worked on his farm.

On the same day at about 9 a.m. at predominantly Christian DTV Zanwra, Fulani herders attacked Christians in their homes and wounded two brothers, Mworina Barry and Iliya Zami Barry, he said. They are receiving medical treatment for machete wounds.

Riyom Attacks
Herdsmen also attacked on Wednesday (June 4) in Riyom County, where they had killed at least 18 Christians in May.

Residents of Riyom County’s Jol village sent messages of distress on Wednesday.

“Please pray for my village, Jol in Riyom Local Government Area,” Zere Samuel said in a text message. “An attack by Fulani herdsmen is ongoing there.”

Resident Gankis Haggai said armed herdsmen were mounting yet another attack in Rim in broad daylight.

“This attack highlights the horror, the pressure, the fear Christians are forced live with every single day,” Haggai said.

Judith Bature wrote, “My heart is heavy as I write this. The ongoing insecurity in Plateau state, particularly the attacks on Christians in Bokkos, Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Bassa, is alarming. The Fulani terrorists’ relentless assaults have left us questioning the effectiveness of our leadership. The attack on Jol and Rim communities in Riyom Local Government Area is just another painful reminder of the silence from Nigerian leaders.”

Prior to the Jol attack, herdsmen on Sunday (June 1) attacked predominantly Bachi village in the Riyom area.

“It’s a Black Sunday in Bachi community of Riyom LGA,” local Samuel Ayuba told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News in a text message. “Another dark day. Another community in tears. Innocent lives have been cut short, dreams silenced, families torn apart. How long will Christians continue to suffer like this?”

In mid-May in Wereng, 12 Christians were killed in a herdsmen attack, and four others were slain in Chido village. Timothy Dantong, a spokesman for the Plateau state government said the attacks in Wereng began on May 13, when suspected Fulani gunmen killed four Christians, and lasted to the following day, when eight more Christians were killed.

“At Wereng, a Christian community in Riyom, we have four Christians who were killed on Tuesday, 13 May,” Dantong said. “The Fulani are the ones who killed them. They killed eight Christians, while one other Christian was injured. On 14 May, the Fulani herdsmen returned to attack the community again, killing eight Christians, and burned down their houses.”

Attorney and religious rights advocate Solomon Dalyop said the more than 200 armed suspected Fulani who attacked Wereng and Chido villages also destroyed houses.

Another band of herdsmen on May 13 killed two Christian villagers in an ambush, said a resident of the area, Pam Dung.

“Two Christian villagers, Linus Davou and Tunde Daylop, were ambushed and killed by herdsmen at the Dachidom community at about 10 p.m.,” Dung said.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

Nigeria remained among the most dangerous places on earth for Christians, according to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the reporting period, 3,100 (69 percent) were in Nigeria, according to the WWL.

“The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology,” the report stated.

In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years.

The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.

Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2025 WWL list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Location of Plateau state in Nigeria. (Himalayan Explorer based on work by Uwe Dedering, Creative Commons)
# # #

© 2025 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org

Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarNews

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

07/06/2025

Court in Pakistan Acquits Muslims Accused in Jaranwala Attacks
Attorney cites defective police investigation.

By Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 6, 2025 (Christian Daily International-Morning Star News) – Defective police investigation resulted in the acquittal of 10 Muslims involved in burning a church building and ransacking a Christian’s home during the Aug. 16, 2023 riots in Jaranwala, Pakistan, an attorney said.

Despite strong evidence against them, Faisalabad Anti-Terrorism Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh on Wednesday (June 4) acquitted the 10 named suspects in the case registered by Lundianwala police for burning a Salvation Army church and ransacking and looting the home of a Siddique Masih, attorney Akmal Bhatti said.

“The police intentionally ignored solid evidence against the accused and failed to conduct a proper investigation that led to the acquittal of the accused,” Bhatti told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, adding that Masih had identified all of those accused of ransacking his home at a jail identification line-up.

The suspects included Ausaf Ali, his two sons Shamoan Ali and Saleem Ali, Usama Akbar, Muhammad Idrees, Atif Hussain, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Azam and Muhammad Ashraf.

“We tried our best to prove our case against the accused on the basis of evidence recorded by 23 witnesses, including police officials and three Christians – Siddique Masih, Liaqat Gill and Iqbal Masih – who were present on the two crime scenes in village Chak 651/2 GB, Jaranwala,” Bhatti said, adding that they they would challenge the verdict in the Lahore High Court.

“We have continuously raised the issue of defective police investigation in all 22 cases registered against the Aug. 16, 2023 rioters, but our pleas for justice fell on deaf ears,” the attorney said.

Bhatti, who represented both the church and Siddique, said the case was registered on the complaint of the station house officer (SHO) of Lundianwala police, who arrested the suspects at the crime scene.

Also chairman of a Christian socio-political movement, Minorities Alliance Pakistan (MAP), Bhatti is a staunch advocate of Christian rights in Pakistan. He said some Christians also played a role in damaging the Jaranwala cases at the behest of state officials.

“These vested elements assumed the role of Christian representatives by themselves and held multiple meetings with police and district administration officials,” he said. “These meetings were nothing more than photo-ops to show Christians in Pakistan and across the world that they were making efforts for justice, whereas the truth is that they were only working to protect the interests of the government.”

The result of their meetings is evident, and the outcome in the remaining cases will be no different, Bhatti lamented.

Christian Daily International-Morning Star News has credible information that some Christian groups, including a senior leader of the Church of Pakistan, received hundreds of thousands of dollars from their foreign donors to pursue Jaranwala legal cases in the trial court as well as Lahore High Court but did not use the money for their intended purpose. Most of the Christian lawyers engaged by these groups took up the cases on voluntary basis, resulting in many of them losing interest in the cases after some months.

More than 25 churches and 85 homes of Christians in Jaranwala Tehsil of Faisalabad District, Punjab Province were ransacked and looted on Aug. 16, 2023 by a frenzied mob of thousands of Muslims after two Christian brothers were accused of writing blasphemous content and desecrating the Quran. The attack drew nationwide condemnation.

More than 300 Muslims were arrested for the riots, but a majority of the suspects were either bailed out or were discharged from the cases due to defective police investigation.

According to Amnesty International, of 5,213 suspects, 380 were arrested while 4,833 remained at large.

“Of the arrested suspects, 228 were released on bail and 77 others had the charges against them dropped,” Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for South Asia, said in a press statement on the first anniversary of the incident. “Despite the authorities’ assurances of accountability, the grossly inadequate action has allowed a climate of impunity for the perpetrators of the Jaranwala violence.”

Blasphemy accusations are common in Pakistan, and those found guilty of insulting Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, can be sentenced to death. While authorities have yet to carry out death sentences for blasphemy, often the accusation alone can spark riots and incite mobs to violence.

The two Christian brothers in Jaranwala were acquitted of the blasphemy charges after an anti-terrorism court found that they had been framed by another Christian following a personal dispute.

Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Belongings of Christians burned in Muslim rioting in Jaranwala, Pakistan on Aug. 16, 2023. (Morning Star News)
# # #

© 2025 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org

Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarNews

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

06/06/2025

Military Emergency Sought as Herdsmen Kill 86 Christians in Benue State, Nigeria
Prominent attorney petitions Nigerian president.

By Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
ABUJA, Nigeria, June 5, 2025 (Christian Daily International-Morning Star News) – A prominent attorney petitioned Nigeria’s president to declare a military emergency as Fulani herdsmen killed at least 86 people in predominantly Christian areas of Benue state in the past two weeks, including 46 on Sunday (June 1), sources said.

Sebastine Hon, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), a prestigious designation conferred upon recommendation of the Nigerian Bar Association, wrote to President Bola Tinubu on Monday (June 2), demanding immediate measures to halt the growing bloodshed in his native Benue state.

“The security situation in my state, however, is VERY FAST slipping out of hand,” Hon wrote. “From the above abridged narration of the unfortunate developments in Benue state, it is MOST IMPERATIVE that a state of military emergency be declared by Mr. President in the state.”

The deplorable security situation in Benue state compelled him in late May to write to leaders of the military and police calling for action, he wrote.

“I personally wrote a joint letter to the Chief of Defense Staff, the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of State Security Services, detailing the failings of the military and paramilitary operations in the state,” Hon wrote. “Till date, nothing has been done, as is clearly evident from recent ugly happenings in the State, about the situation,” he said.

In predominantly Christian Gwer West County, Fulani herdsmen killed at least 68 people over the past two weeks, including 18 slain on Sunday (June 1) in Tse Antswam, on the outskirts of Naka town, residents and community leaders said.

Community leader Daniel Abomtse said the assailants were Fulani herdsmen.

“On Sunday, 18 Christians were killed in Tse Antswam village. Some were shot, while others were slaughtered, and houses burned,” Abomtse said.

Victor Ormini, chairman of the Gwer West Local Government Council, sent a distressed text message to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.

“A week ago, over 40 Christians were killed in our local government area, and again, we’re seeing the killing of additional Christians,” Ormini said. “So far, 14 corpses of Christians killed in Naka alone have been recovered. Yet, many Christians are still missing.”

Area residents in response to inquiries from Christian Daily International-Morning Star News said the attacks occurred on May 27.

In his letter to President Tinubu, Hon chronicled attacks that took place while the military and other security agencies stood by.

“On May 29, 2025, Agan community, right in Makurdi city, the state capital, was attacked in broad daylight,” Hon wrote. “Even though there is a military barracks in the same North Bank, no soldier was deployed to arrest the situation.”

On Sunday (June 1) in Naka, site of the Gwer West Local Government headquarters, and the Edikwu-Ankpali community in Apa Local Area came under deadly attacks, resulting in several fatalities, he wrote. On May 24, the Rev. Solomon Atongo was attacked on his way from Makurdi to Naka.

“The scene was just about 500 meters from a military checkpoint; but none of the soldiers at the checkpoint came to his rescue until the attackers left him for dead,” Hon wrote. “He is lucky to be alive today.”

On Saturday (May 31), Catholic priests accused the military of complicity, publicly stating that the church has lost priests and congregation members and has closed more than 15 parishes in the state, Hon noted.

“The attackers always come in the numbers on motorcycles,” Hone wrote. “Meanwhile, there are several military checkpoints along the roads! Where and how, if I may ask, do those murderers pass to the points of attack and back to their newly-acquired ‘bases’?”

Police in Benue state said tactical teams had been deployed to the Naka and Apa areas.

Unprecedented Attacks in Apa
The herdsmen attacks in Apa County were unprecedented, killing at least 28 Christians on Sunday (June 1), sources said.

Residents of Edikwu Ankpali and Opaha villages said the attacks took place at about 6 p.m., shortly after Christians returned from Sunday evening worship services.

“A mass burial has been held for 28 Christians of Benue state who were brutally killed by armed herdsmen in Ankali, Edikwu Ankpali community, located in the Apa Local Government Area,” resident George Daniel told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News in a text message. “Several Christians were also reportedly abducted during the attacks.”

Resident Tony Adikwu said more than 28 Christians were killed in the attack on Edikwu Ankpali.

“And most of the displaced Christians at Edikwu Ankpali, are currently taking refuge at Odugbo village, another Christian community,” Adikwu said.

Predominantly Christian Opaha village was also attacked on Sunday (June 1), said John Ikwulono, a former official of the Apa Local Government Council. Adams Ocheiga, chairman of the Apa Local Government Council, confirmed attacks on Christians in the area.

“It’s true that some Christian communities in our area are currently under attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen,” Ocheiga told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “The attention of police authorities, the military, and the Benue state government has been drawn to these unpleasant situations. We hope something will be done soon in order to avert more of such evil attacks.”

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

Nigeria remained among the most dangerous places on earth for Christians, according to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the reporting period, 3,100 (69 percent) were in Nigeria, according to the WWL.

“The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology,” the report stated.

In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years.

The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.

Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2025 WWL list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Funeral for Christians killed on June 1, 2025 in Ankali, Edikwu Ankpali, Apa County, Benue state, Nigeria. (Screenshot of video).
# # #

© 2025 Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org

Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarNews

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

06/06/2025

Herdsmen Kill 70-Year-Old Pastor, 35 other Christians in Nigeria
Slaughters carried out in one county of Plateau state.

By Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
ABUJA, Nigeria, June 4, 2025 (Christian Daily International-Morning Star News) – Fulani herdsmen this week killed at least nine Christians in Plateau state, Nigeria, following the slaughter of 27 others days before, sources said.

The attacks took place in Bokkos County in the predominantly Christian communities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas, residents said.

Local resident Emmanuel Auta said nine Christians were killed in the Mushere area of Bokkos County on Sunday and Monday (June 1-2).

“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with Christians being butchered like what we are currently witnessing,” Auta told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Two Christians were killed on Sunday, June 1, and additional seven Christians were killed on Monday, June 2, all in Mushere area of Bokkos Local Government Area.”

Another resident, Lilian Madaki, said the herdsmen had been attacking Bokkos County villages days before.

“For six days, Fulanis have continued to attack our communities which are predominantly Christian villages,” Madaki said in a text message. “Among some of the Christian victims that I know is a 14-year-old Christian teenager who was shot and wounded and is currently being treated at a hospital.”

Resident Dorcas Ishaya added that herdsmen on May 27 attacked Mbor, Margif and Mijing, “all Christian villages, and set fire on houses and killed many Christians. The attacks occurred at about 11 p.m.”

On late Monday night (June 2) the herdsmen invaded the predominantly Christian villages of Hokk, Pangkap and Fokoldep and were still shooting when area resident Yakubu Kefas sent an alert to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News on Tuesday (June 3).

“Christians are currently under intense and sustained gunfire from Fulani terrorist elements in Hokk, Pangkap, and Fokoldep Christian communities in Bokkos Local Government Area,” Kefas said.

The attacks began at about 11 p.m. the night before, he said.

“The attackers who we believe are Fulani terrorists are carrying out indiscriminate shootings, killings, and large-scale arson, resulting in widespread terror, Christian casualties and destruction of property,” Kefas said.

Residents reported the May 27 kidnapping and killing of the Rev. Mimang Lekyil, 70-year-old pastor of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) congregation in the Kwahas area of Mushere.

Masara Kim, a Christian journalist from the area, said 11 other area Christians were killed on May 25.

“The full name of the slain cleric is Rev. Mimang Lekyil; he was pastor in charge of COCIN Kwahas, Kawel in Mushere,” Kim told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “It was a case of kidnap. The pastor’s wife broke her leg during the incident; 11 other Christians were also killed in Bokkos, on Sunday, May 25.

Herdmen killed eight Christians in Kopmur village and another seven in Mbor community, said area resident Nanlop Joy.

“These are all Christian villages,” Joy said.

Police have been deployed to the affected communities alongside military personnel, officials said.

“Those responsible for this would be made to face justice as the Plateau State Police Command would not leave any stone unturned in the bid to ensure that the perpetrators face the law,” said command spokesman Emmanuel Adesina in a statement issued in Jos.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

Nigeria remained among the most dangerous places on earth for Christians, according to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the reporting period, 3,100 (69 percent) were in Nigeria, according to the WWL.

“The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology,” the report stated.

In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years.

The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.

Nigeria ranked seventh on the 2025 WWL list of the 50 worst countries for Christians.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Central Mosque, Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria. (El-siddeeq lame, Creative Commons)
# # #

© 2025 Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org

Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarNews

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

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