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Please pray for God's people in Nigeria as they endure more violence
At least 218 people have been killed and more than 6,000 displaced after a spate of devastating attacks on mostly Christian villages in Benue State, a territory in the Middle Belt region of northern Nigeria. Islamic Fulani militants are suspected to be behind all six of the attacks, which targeted men, women and children.
The attacks happened between June 8 and June 14, with the deadliest on June 13 when a displacement camp numbering 400 people in Yelewata was attacked. The militants were first resisted by the military, only for soldiers to retreat to a market area where IDPs were taking refuge in storage facilities.
"Join with us to pray that God Himself should be our defender and sustain us and keep us."
Pastor Barnabas, Nigerian believer
Shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greater"), militants burned the buildings and attacked people with guns and machetes. Some 200 people were killed and five injured. Earlier that day, six civilians and three soldiers were killed in separate incidents.
"Open Doors condemns in the strongest terms possible the attacks in Benue state," says Jo Newhouse, Open Doors' spokesperson for our work in sub-Saharan Africa. "For this pattern of attack on mostly Christian villages to continue without restraint is totally unacceptable. Christians in the Middle Belt of Nigeria need to know their government is willing to do what is needed to secure their safety of all her citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or religion."
The first of this latest surge in attacks occurred in the village of Udei, when attackers shot and killed two farmers and injured another as the victims worked on their field. On June 11, two women were killed as they worked on their land near the village of Tse Ivokor. The next day, Amos Uorayev, an IDP and Protection Volunteer with Foundation for Justice Development and Peace, set out with four other youths to recover bodies, only to be ambushed and killed.
Last Sunday, thousands gathered on the streets of Makurdi—the capital of Benue State—to protest the killings, with police firing teargas to disperse them. "Listen to us, we are tired, please stop Benue killings!" said a young woman at the protest.
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State said the state is under siege by "terrorists." In a recent interview, he explained further: "Of late, what we experience and what we see is more appalling. It is much stronger, way beyond farmer-herder crisis. We're being attacked by bandits and terrorists. The level of what we have experienced in the last two months, it's so alarming."
The State House of Assembly have said that Governor Alia, his deputy and the 32 lawmakers had let the people down. On Wednesday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu visited Benue State and set up a committee to help restore sustainable peace to the region. "Let's fashion out a framework for lasting peace," he said at a town hall meeting. "I am ready to invest in that peace. I assure you, we will find peace. We will convert this tragedy into prosperity."
Meanwhile, the United Nations have condemned the attacks and called for a comprehensive investigation into the incidents.
"Open Doors joins the UN in calling for immediate action and a comprehensive investigation," Newhouse says. "We also call upon the government of Nigeria to take immediate action to provide protection, by taking robust action to stop violent militant attacks. We call for justice, which includes the fair prosecution of those responsible. And lastly, we call for restoration by providing restitution, rehabilitation and compensation for survivors and communities.
"The international community should do all in its power to encourage urgency and transparency from the Nigerian government in action to ensure they achieve these goals."
The Middle Belt region is part of northern Nigeria, a melting pot of ethno-religious groups that have long co-existed, and it's where Christianity's northern presence is centered.
The Fulani, a nomadic people group, are increasingly migrating southward into Middle Belt states. It's not a new migration route, but due to climate change, resources are becoming scarcer and competition more intense. Not all Fulani are militants, but an Islamist element has emerged, with targeted violence increasingly common—and Christians are among those in the firing line.
Our family in Nigeria desperately needs you to stand with them as they face such severe persecution—and there are ways you can help.
First, if you haven't already, please sign the Arise Africa petition, which calls for protection, justice and restoration for Christians affected by violence and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa—just like those caught up in these recent attacks. The petition is intended to be presented to the African Union, United Nations, European Union and local governments around the world in 2026. If you've added your voice, please share the petition and ask others to sign it as well.
And most importantly, please pray. "If there is any way you can contribute yourself, contribute in a way to help us Christians in the IDP camp, please do it and God will bless you," says Pastor Barnabas, a believer who lives at an IDP camp in Nigeria, "and join with us to pray that God Himself should be our defender and sustain us and keep us."
