Funeral procession for 27 Christians killed in Nigeria
On Friday, July 25, residents of Plateau State, Nigeria, held a somber funeral procession for 27 Christians brutally murdered in Bindi (Jebbu) village, Riyom County, during a midnight attack by Fulani herdsmen 10 days earlier. Despite prior warnings from locals about an imminent threat, the authorities reportedly failed to act.
The victims’ coffins were transported in a pay-loader truck from the Jos University Teaching Hospital mortuary to the village, where a mass burial was held. The attack, which took place around 11 p.m. on July 15, targeted residents while they slept. Human rights activist James Nyango condemned the atrocity, calling it deeply troubling, especially since the village is located less than 200 meters from a Special Task Force (STF) checkpoint. He described the lack of response as “worrisome and suspicious.”
Rights advocate Gideon Manjal suggested the attack was part of a broader strategy to displace indigenous Christian communities from their ancestral lands. He expressed frustration that the attackers’ identities and locations are known to authorities, yet no significant action has been taken.
Senator Pam Dachungyang, representing the area, decried the attack, noting that victims included women, children, and the elderly, murdered in their homes. He said similar attacks in neighboring villages like Jol and Rim indicate a sustained effort to terrorize and uproot Christian farming communities. The continued violence, he added, not only endangers lives but also threatens food security in the region.
Berom youth leader Dalyop Solomon reported that several homes were torched and many people were injured during the onslaught. A local resident, Chollom Gyang, identified 26 of the deceased by name and confirmed their transportation from the hospital morgue for burial.
While the Fulani are a diverse ethnic group numbering in the millions across Nigeria and West Africa—many of whom are peaceful—some factions have adopted radical Islamist ideologies, according to a 2020 report by the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief (APPG). These extremist elements have used tactics similar to Boko Haram and ISWAP to target Christian communities deliberately.
Christian leaders in Nigeria believe the sustained attacks by armed Fulani militias aim to seize Christian-owned land and expand Islamic dominance, especially as climate challenges like desertification push herders further south.
Nigeria continues to rank among the most dangerous countries for Christians. According to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, the country accounted for 69 percent of all documented Christian killings globally, with 3,100 out of 4,476 reported deaths. The report highlights that extremist groups—including Boko Haram, ISWAP, and the emerging Lakurawa group affiliated with Al-Qaeda’s JNIM—have extended their reach across Nigeria’s central and southern regions, often operating with impunity in areas lacking strong government control.
Nigeria is ranked seventh on the 2025 list of the 50 most dangerous countries for Christians.