Violent attackers continue to plague Nigeria

Late in August, armed assailants targeted two villages in Nigeria’s north-central Benue state, killing six Christians. In a now familiar pattern, the attackers, suspected to be herdsmen, also set several houses on fire.

The killings are among the latest to hit the state known locally as the nation’s food basket. Residents reported that more than 30 other Christians have been killed since violent attacks surged in July, and many have fled for their lives.

“There are also currently over 2,000 villagers from the affected communities who are living in deplorable conditions in camps,” Phillip Ebenyakwu, chairman of the local council in the targeted Agatu county, told Morning Star News, a nonprofit that reports on persecuted Christians.

An Aug. 29 report by the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) tracked more than 30,000 civilian killings and more than 21,000 abductions in Nigeria over four years. Meanwhile, attacks in states like Benue are worsening an already dire economic crisis, with thousands of farmers killed and many others unable to access their farmlands.

ORFA, a research and advocacy group, said the tracked killings include more than 16,000 Christians and more than 6,000 Muslims. It said most of the incidents took place in the country’s northwest, followed by the northcentral and northeast regions.

The group blamed the majority of attacks between October 2019 and September 2023 on unidentified terror groups and the Fulani Ethnic Militia, comprised of armed herdsmen from the Fulani ethnic group. Experts suspect Fulani herdsmen also make up some of the unidentified terror groups. Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) both account for the third-highest number of killings, recorded at just over 3,000.

Frans Vierhout, senior analyst at ORFA, told WORLD in a message that the report’s findings counter previous conceptions that Boko Haram and ISWAP are still the “main aggressors.”

The report explained that attacks and abductions by the ethno-religious Fulani Ethnic Militia attacks go beyond the usual speculation of clashes between majority Christian farmers and herders.

“It is important to point out that not all Fulanis are bandits or armed terrorists,” the report noted. “Yet, the fact remains that most bandits and armed herdsmen who engage in these terrible acts of deadly attacks and violence are of Fulani ethnic heritage.”

The report called for an improved respect for religious freedom, better security presence in rural areas, and prosecution for offenders. “Knowing who the aggressors are and how they operate is crucial for finding realistic solutions,” Vierhout said.

The ongoing attacks have also killed more than 1,300 farmers in Nigeria since 2020, according to the SBM Intelligence consulting firm. The organization reported that armed insurgent groups require farmers in rural areas to pay levies before they can plant or harvest their crops.

“These illegal tolls have made it difficult for farmers to access their farms and added to the mounting food insecurity exacerbated by factors such as an unstable currency,” the SBM Intelligence report said.

Groups like Boko Haram that have long terrorized northeast Nigeria have also persisted, killing more than 4,300 people in the four-year period ORFA tracked. On Wednesday, residents from Yobe state said at least 100 villagers died in a weekend Boko Haram attack.

The Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, who is also a partner analyst with ORFA, believes there’s a clear intersection between Nigeria’s violence and the country’s food security. As the violence stretches on, Para-Mallam called for a response beyond waiting on the government to act.

“Nigerians need to come together to think about how we end this madness that’s infesting our country,” he said. “It’s becoming a cancer.”