Violence against Christians in Nigeria’s northwestern region continues unabated. On July 11, an attack carried out by armed men identified as Fulani herdsmen struck the village of Kampani, in Kajuru County, during a prayer meeting organized by the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA). Five Christians were killed and three wounded. The victims were Victor Haruna, Dogara Jatau, Luka Yari, Jesse Dalami, and Bawu John, while the injured were Samuel Aliyu, Philip Dominic, and Jacob Hussaini.
This incident is part of an already severely unstable context: in the first six months of 2025, at least 110 people have been abducted in the predominantly Christian villages of Kajuru and surrounding areas. Documented attacks include those on June 28 in Bauda (with the abduction of village chief Obadiah Iguda), March 12 (with ten abductions in Unguwan Yashi, Makyali, and Ungwan Mudi Doka), and March 10 in Buda, where 61 Christians – including many women and children – were kidnapped.
On January 1, in the community of Unguwar Rogo, Fulani militias set fire to a church and dozens of Christian homes, continuing a campaign of violence that began on New Year’s Day. A pastor was also killed during an assault in Unguwan Mulki.
These attacks are not isolated incidents but are part of a broader strategy of targeted violence against Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. According to numerous observers and local religious leaders, the objective is the control of fertile lands and forced cultural replacement, in a context aggravated by desertification that has affected northern herders. A report by the British Parliament found that some Fulani factions adopt tactics similar to those of Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP).
According to “Open Doors'” 2025 “World Watch List,” Nigeria is the country with the highest number of Christians killed for their faith: 3,100 out of 4,476 globally, accounting for 69%. Insecurity also extends to the southern part of the country, while a new jihadist group, the Lakurawa, affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Sahel, has recently formed in the northwest.
The Nigerian government’s silence and inaction worry residents. “We live in constant fear,” they state. Appeals to authorities are multiplying, but without concrete results. Meanwhile, the international community is also beginning to react: the US State Department and Pope Leo XIV recently condemned the massacres, including that of Yelewata (Benue State), where approximately 200 people were killed in June.
These events highlight a humanitarian and religious emergency that risks worsening in the absence of decisive intervention by Nigerian institutions and the international community.
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