At least twenty Christians were killed during the night of June 22-23 in an attack carried out against the village of Kawel, in the Bokkos Local Government Area, in Plateau State, central Nigeria. The assault also left several people injured and numerous homes reduced to ashes, in yet another episode of violence that once again strikes the Christian communities of Nigeria’s so-called Middle Belt.
According to local authorities, a group of heavily armed men stormed the village around two in the morning and opened indiscriminate fire on residents before setting several houses ablaze. The Plateau State Police said its officers responded to the scene and exchanged gunfire with the attackers, although the assailants managed to flee. No arrests have been announced so far.
The chairman of the Bokkos Local Government, Amalau Samuel, described the attack as “heartbreaking and unacceptable” and urged the federal government to strengthen security in a region that has been plagued for years by repeated episodes of violence.
The victims were Christians
Although Nigerian authorities have not officially attributed the attack to any specific group, several media outlets specializing in monitoring the persecution of Christians provide further details about what happened.
Christian Daily International reports that all the victims belonged to Christian communities and, citing local officials and eyewitnesses, identifies the attackers as armed Muslim Fulani herders. According to these sources, numerous families were caught while sleeping and their homes were systematically set on fire.
Various international media outlets also report that among the dead were a doctor and five patients who were in a local health center when the assault occurred, underscoring the extreme violence of the attack.
A region marked by persecution
Plateau State is part of the so-called Middle Belt, the central belt of Nigeria that separates the predominantly Muslim north from the largely Christian south. For years, this region has experienced a spiral of attacks on villages, resulting in thousands of deaths, mass population displacements, and growing insecurity.
While authorities often attribute these incidents to land or resource disputes between farmers and herders, numerous international Christian organizations denounce that Christian communities are being subjected to repeated attacks and call for a stronger response from the state to ensure their protection.