The Rev. Hezekiah Mukan officiated
the mass burial of 51 Christians on April 14. Mukan, also chair of the
Christian Association of Nigeria, consoled locals reading from 1
Thessalonians 4:13, calling on everyone to remember their hope in Christ
as they mourned the dead. The three other known victims received
separate Christian burials.
Pastor Ishaku Mathew Kure, a local
Baptist pastor, lost 10 members of his congregation and described
seeing the attackers, some speaking both English and Fulani, using
phrases like āKillā and āLetās go.ā The pastor, who narrowly escaped
with his family, called the violence āgenocideā and questioned the
governmentās failure to disarm Fulani militias while locals remain
defenseless.
Amnesty International condemned the massacre, which left elderly people and children butchered in their homes. āThe inexcusable security lapses must be investigated,ā Amnesty stated, adding that mere statements of condemnation are insufficient without justice and accountability.
From December 2023 to February 2024, more than 1,300 people were killed in Plateau state alone, including more than 500 women and 260 children. Nearly 30,000 people have been displaced. The frequency and pattern of the attacks have led to growing fears of an orchestrated campaign to forcibly displace Christian communities and seize their ancestral lands.
Eli Bako, a state lawmaker
representing the affected area, called the attack āevilā and pleaded
with the international community for urgent intervention. āOne day, we
will have no people left in our constituency,ā he warned, criticizing
the selective disarmament of vulnerable villagers.
Plateau State Governor Caleb
Manasseh Mutfwang condemned the attacks as ācoordinated acts of terrorā
aimed at ethnic cleansing. In a state broadcast on April 14, he stated,
āWhat we are witnessing is not mere herder-farmer clashes, but a
calculated campaign of genocide.ā
He pledged full support for the
victims, announcing free medical treatment for the wounded, deployment
of more troops, and provision of emergency relief supplies. The governor
also met with top federal security officials, including Nigeriaās
president and the chief of defense staff, to demand urgent
intervention.