CASE STUDY MORE THAN 300 NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS
MASSACRED ON CHRISTMAS EVE
Hundreds of suspected Fulani militants murdered more than 300 people and injured hundreds more in coordinated attacks on more than 30 villages near Bokkos town in Nigeria’s Plateau State on Christmas Eve 2023. The extremists also burnt down entire villages and destroyed food supplies, aggravating the region’s ongoing food crisis. The attackers stormed at least 20 of the affected villages simultaneously, shooting at all residents indiscriminately with machine guns. Some of the terrorists also attacked locals with machetes while setting their houses on fire. The communities targeted were majority Christian. Many of the victims were women and children. Photographer Jalang Mandong survived the massacre but lost 10 of his relatives, including his father and a brother. He and some other villagers initially attempted to defend their families, but were overwhelmed by the sheer number of militants, without having any advanced weapons to fight back with. His father and brother were initially shot, before being attacked with machetes until they died in front of his eyes. Mr. Mandong said that the attacks were designed to “disrupt the celebration of Christmas,” while also attempting to “take over the lands of these communities.” He and thousands of other locals fled their villages after losing their homes and all their property. Many of those displaced have sought refuge inside Church buildings. There are now more than a dozen IDP camps in Bokkos, mostly located within Church premises. “In situations like this, people often rush to churches, rather than to police stations, because they don’t have confidence in government institutions,” said Father Andrew Dewan, director of communications in Pankshin Diocese, where most of the attacks took place. Locals were not feeling safe following the massacre, according to Father Dewan, with “the same old members of the security forces patrolling occasionally, who did not fire a bullet during the attacks.”
As of June 2024, no one has been charged with carrying out the attacks. Father Dewan said: “We have heard of some arrests but no prosecution, much to the frustration of survivors and victims’ families." “We are used to this charade,” he added. “Attackers are often arrested and later set free. Politicians give speeches that contain no grain of truth. They make promises and pledges of rehabilitating and reinstating all those displaced back to their ancestral homes, but that is often not the case.” Some Christian farmers attempted to return to their fields following the attacks and saw Fulani herdsmen
20 Persecuted and Forgotten?
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