(The Lion) — At least 30 people were killed and several others severely injured late Palm Sunday after “gunmen on motorcycles” ravaged communities in Nigeria.
“The incident occurred during the evening, when armed men reportedly entered the community and opened fire on residents. Eyewitnesses described the attack as coordinated, with multiple casualties recorded and several homes affected,” ICC noted.
Eyewitnesses shared different views about the group(s) to which the killers may have belonged, whether “Boko Haram, a Sunni jihadist terror organization most active in the nation’s northeast, or the Fulani terrorists,” Breitbart reported.
State Commissioner for Information Joyce Lohya Ramnap confirmed the loss of life in an official statement, prompting the Plateau State government to impose a 48‑hour curfew to prevent further violence.
Eyewitnesses reported the attackers shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they opened fire, leaving terrified community members scrambling for cover in the dark, according to Persecuted.
This attack marks the latest in a string of deadly assaults on Christian communities throughout Nigeria’s Middle Belt, a region where a “majority-Muslim north of the country meets the majority-Christian south, and the site of decades of jihadist atrocities against indigenous Christians in the area.”
According to advocacy organizations, Nigeria accounted for 72% of all Christian killings worldwide in 2025.
Christian leaders and pastors across the world have been outspoken about the increase in violence against Christians, specifically in Nigeria.
“Tragic events like this are all too common in Plateau State and large areas of northern Nigeria. And too often they can occur on Christian holy days like this,” said Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, in a Fox News interview.
Pastor Sam Jones, outreach director for Equipping the Persecuted, emphasized the weight of the attacks.
“The Palm Sunday massacres in Jos and Kagarko – where at least 40 Christians were slaughtered – are a horrific reminder that Christians in Nigeria are still being killed with impunity,” he told The Lion. “We condemn the ongoing violence carried out by Fulani Ethnic Militias and other terrorist groups targeting Christian communities, and we warn that attacks often increase during Holy Week as Good Friday and Easter approach.
“The Nigerian government must act immediately to defend its citizens, bring the perpetrators to justice, and restore security to Christian communities before more innocent lives are lost.”
As attacks continue to escalate during one of the most sacred weeks of the Christian calendar, advocates warn that without swift government intervention, more innocent lives are at risk, and the cycle of religiously motivated violence is likely to continue.
