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Nigerian Christians experienced deadly suspected jihadist attacks in at least five states on Easter Sunday, the holiest day on the Christian calendar \u2013 involving direct attacks on Easter services, mass abductions, and indiscriminate firing on local victims.<\/p>\n
The attacks followed a massacre that killed at least 30 people on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter that marks the opening of Holy Week, in Plateau state, one of the deadliest places in Nigeria to practice the Christian faith.<\/p>\n Human rights experts routinely rank<\/a> Nigeria the deadliest place in the world to practice Christianity as a result of the large annual death tolls of Christians in targeted attacks. The perpetrators are typically members of a variety of Muslim terrorist organizations, most prominently the Islamic State, Boko Haram, and the genocidal Fulani terrorists of the Middle Belt. Nigerian Christians often protest<\/a> that, despite the clear identity of their assailants, the federal government ignores the Islamic motivations of the killers and denies the existence of Christian persecution in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThe characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,\u201d Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared<\/a> in November, responding to President Donald Trump\u2019s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for religious freedom.<\/p>\n The Nigerian newspaper\u00a0Vanguard<\/em> reported<\/a> on Monday that two separate attacks on Easter targeted the states of Benue \u2013 a Middle Belt state with a large Christian population \u2013 and Kaduna, a\u00a0sharia<\/em><\/a> state with a Christian minority. The newspaper identified the attackers in Benue as \u201csuspected armed herdsmen,\u201d a term typically referring to Fulani jihadists who target Christian communities for destruction and colonization.<\/p>\n \u201cThe attackers, numbering over 50, set homes, the local market, and food barns ablaze. Several others remain missing,\u201d the newspaper reported, adding that at least nine confirmed deaths occurred in that attack. The Nigerian newspaper\u00a0Premium Times<\/em> reported<\/a> that the government documented at least 17 deaths in the attack by later in the day. That newspaper cited locals who said the attack specifically targeted Easter celebrations.<\/p>\n \u201cAs people tried to flee, the gunmen opened fire, killing innocent residents. Nine bodies have been recovered, but many are still missing,\u201d an anonymous resident was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n In Kaduna,\u00a0Nigerian media reported that unspecified \u201cterrorists\u201d opened fire on two Christian churches in Ariko, identified as First ECWA Church and St. Augustine Catholic Church, killing<\/a> at least seven people. During this attack, the terrorists attempted to abduct dozens of people, and reportedly succeeded in taking away a number authorities have not confirmed at press time. The Nigerian military nonetheless boasted that it engaged heavily with the terrorists, resulting in the liberation of 31 Christians the terrorists attempted to abduct.<\/p>\n \u201cMilitary sources said troops engaged the terrorists in a fierce firefight, forcing them to abandon the hostages,\u201d\u00a0Vanguard<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Local Katsina councillor Mark Bawa reportedly lamented<\/a> to\u00a0Punch<\/em>, another Nigerian outlet, that despite the rescue, the government response to the attack was slow. He blamed \u201cpoor telecommunications coverage in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n In northeastern Borno state, historically the cradle of the jihadist terror attack by Boko Haram, local authorities also reported coordinated community attacks. The reports<\/a> did not specify the nature of the attacks, but did identify the attackers as members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Boko Haram and ISWAP were once the same group, when Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in the Middle East, but reportedly splintered after his death over disagreement about continuing to follow the global ISIS infrastructure. Local media reported that five people were killed, four of them police, in the Borno attacks this weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cThe terrorists deployed rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and other weapons, damaging part of the [police] station and partially burning an unserviceable armored personnel carrier,\u201d\u00a0Vanguard<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Vanguard<\/em> documented<\/a> yet another \u201cterrorist\u201d attack in Plateau state, in the heart of the devastated Middle Belt, beginning around midnight between Saturday and Sunday. This attack killed three people and reportedly targeted a group that was established to protect the area in the absence of any meaningful government-provided security against jihadist groups.<\/p>\n The Nigerian newspaper\u00a0Premium Times<\/em> reported<\/a> on Monday that another group of \u201cattackers\u201d targeted Katsina state, northwest Nigeria, in this case burning down a healthcare site and some local businesses. While the report only identified the attackers as \u201csuspected bandits,\u201d jihadists have been documented to use tactics such as the burning down of small businesses, churches, and other local community sites to displace Christians, forcing them from their indigenous homes and allowing the roving jihadists to steal the land.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite repeated military operations and government assurances, attacks in local government areas such as Matazu, Malumfashi, and Funtua have remained frequent, often involving killings, abductions, and destruction of livelihoods,\u201d Premium Times<\/em> lamented.<\/p>\n Follow Frances Martel on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Twitter.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n