At least 64 Christian settlements in Plateau, Nigeria, have been occupied by suspected Islamist terrorists, and the governor of that state has denounced the takeover.
The governor, Celeb Mutfwang, voiced his worry that the federal government of Nigeria, which has been dominated by Muslims since 2015, does not care about safeguarding Christians. In early 2023, after a controversial election, President Bola Tinubu assumed power, succeeding Buhari’s hand-picked successor.
Terrorist assaults in central Nigeria have been spreading southward from northern Nigeria, where Muslim gangs, said to number in the tens of thousands, have been active for years. The Nigerian military is making claims that they are preparing “clearing operations” to apprehend the killers of the Christians in the region, but in the past, such drills have had little success in apprehending the real culprits.
According to the most recent Persecution Trends report from Release International, the central areas of southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau, and Taraba states are seeing an increase in the murder of small groups and individuals. Attacks on Christian towns by jihadists and their supporters have resulted in the destruction of food supplies and the displacement of those who refused to convert or escape. As Boko Haram and its allies in the so-called Islamic State organization fight for control of northeastern Nigeria, a terrorist struggle has been going on there since 2009, causing the displacement of almost 2 million people and the deaths of tens of thousands.
While arrests are uncommon in these assaults, the Nigerian army and other security services have launched “clearing operations” to seek culprits. Security forces were directed by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to “scour every length of the zone and catch the criminals.” Tinubu also ordered swift medical care for the injured and urgently mobilized humanitarian resources for the survivors.
Monday, Kassah, a local government official, informed reporters that, contrary to what the media has reported, officials think the Plateau slaughters were “perfectly organized.” When it comes down to it, Fulani ethnic terrorist gangs are the ones terrorizing Christians in the Middle Belt. At first, federal authorities in Nigeria said that just 16 people had died in the Christmas assaults in Plateau; this was in keeping with the country’s long history of inaction in protecting Christian villages from Fulani terrorists.
