A senior leader of the Church of Christ in Nations has renewed concern over years of deadly violence affecting Christian communities across parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Rev. Dr. Sylvester Dachomo, COCIN’s Deputy General Secretary, has drawn attention to communities that have suffered killings, displacement and destruction during Nigeria’s long-running security crisis. Recent reporting quoted a COCIN leader saying, “We’ve lost entire villages and congregations.”
The human cost is significant.
Amnesty International reported that at least 2,630 people were killed in Plateau State during the first two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. It also documented attacks on 167 rural communities in the state and said approximately 65,000 people had been internally displaced.
Religious-freedom monitors have also documented attacks by armed Fulani militants against religious communities, often, though not exclusively, targeting Christians in the Middle Belt.
Nigeria’s wider security crisis remains complex. Christians and Muslims have both been killed by jihadist groups, bandits and other armed actors, while violence in the Middle Belt can also involve land disputes, ethnicity, criminality and cycles of retaliation.
The Nigerian government rejects claims that the country is experiencing a state-backed campaign to eliminate Christians, saying terrorism and insecurity affect citizens of different faiths.
But behind every argument over terminology are real people who have lost loved ones, homes, churches and entire communities.
“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” — 1 Corinthians 12:26
Pray for grieving families. Pray for displaced communities. Pray for protection, justice and lasting peace across Nigeria.