ABUJA, Nigeria — Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed a pastor, his wife and three other Christians at around midnight on June 2 in Plateau state, central Nigeria, sources said.
The raiders with heavy weaponry attacked a predominantly Christian village in Kwall District, Bassa County, killing Pastor Dauda Dalyop, 63, of the Assemblies of God Church; his wife, Chummy Dauda, 57; Chwe Ajuhs, 26; Joshua Kusa, 45; and Rikwe Doro, 43, said Sam Jugo, spokesman for the Irigwe Development Association, an umbrella group of the predominantly Christian ethnic group in Plateau state.
“In the middle of the night of June 2, Fulani herdsmen invaders attacked and killed five of our residents in cold blood at Ari Songo hamlet in Kimakpa area of Kwall District,” Jugo said in a press statement. “Two other Christians were severely injured and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Jos.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
In his original statement to Nigerian media, Jugo identified the assailants only as “criminal invaders.” Questioned by Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, he revised his statement to identify them as “Fulani herdsmen invaders.”
Two days prior, a band of herdsmen ambushed and attacked two Christians in the same Kwall area, he said.
“This sad incident is coming just two days after some herdsmen ambushed two other Christians, killing one of them, Mr. Irmiya Musa Timbi, while the second victim was injured,” Jugo said.
The Rev. Ronku Aka, a pastor in the area, confirmed the attack in a message to Morning Star News. Fidelis Adara, a Bassa council official, corroborated the information.
The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) called on the Nigerian government to investigate continued killings and bring them to an end. The Rev. Akus Odoh of ECWA, Miango District Church Council, condemned the most recent attack in strong terms and called for a thorough investigation.
“Nigeria has lost its values, and the government doesn’t respect the right to life,” Odoh said.
Alfred Alabo, spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, confirmed that five people were killed, including the pastor.
Discussion about this post