Edit: This post has been corrected to clarify that the Fulani militants were the perpetrators of these attacks and not the Fulani ethnic group.
5/19/2023 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — The Fulani militants who killed 42 Christians during a night attack earlier this week in north-central Nigeria continued their killing spree despite a curfew imposed by the government.
Witnesses have told International Christian Concern (ICC) staffers that at least 100 Christians were killed this week in 16 villages in the Mangu district of Plateau State.
One survivor who fled with other villagers watched as the militants killed her husband, father-in-law, and four siblings, and burned her home.
“We did nothing to them, but the Fulani [militants] killed us because of our faith,” she said.
“We don’t have guns to defend ourselves,” another survivor who sustained a gunshot wound told ICC. The man lost five family members in the attack, including his wife and father. “The military and police came when the Fulani [militants] finished attacking the village and killing 27 from my village,” said the man.
On Thursday evening, Fulani militants also attacked another neighboring community in Kiwi Village, killing at least 10 people and burning houses.
“We received an early sign warning, but the security officials refused to listen to us,” said a community member who saw the attack. “They came after the attack and carried 10 dead bodies for burial.”
Witnesses said the attacks on the Christian farming community were well-planned, designed to chase Christians from their communities. Many say it is a form of Jihad or Islamic holy war.
During the attack, the town was under a government-imposed curfew. Curfews like this have been known to endanger villagers by preventing them from setting out watchmen to look for attackers during certain hours. Neighboring Kaduna State’s recent governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was infamous for imposing harsh, dangerous curfews on Christian communities undergoing repeated attacks.
