The new year dawned stained with blood in Nigeria. Across Benue State and beyond, a wave of coordinated attacks shattered the fragile peace of Christian communities, leaving a trail of loss and terror in its wake.
In the darkness of January 12th, gunmen descended upon Otobi Akpa village, firing into homes as people slept. Four Christians were killed outright, their lives extinguished in an instant, while dozens vanished into the night, their fates unknown. This was not an isolated incident, but a brutal continuation of violence that began with the Christmas Eve attacks.
Just days before, on January 5th and 6th, farmers in Kwande and Guma counties were ambushed while tending their fields. Nine more Christians fell victim to the relentless aggression, their labor turned to bloodshed. These attacks weren’t random; they were systematic, targeting the heart of Christian communities.
Local leaders spoke of a pattern of deliberate violence – ambushes, house-to-house raids, and the calculated targeting of predominantly Christian villages. Families were forced to abandon their homes and livelihoods, fleeing for safety with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
The roots of this conflict are complex, driven by a desperate scramble for land, the pressures of a changing climate, and a dangerous ideology embraced by some Fulani militias. Reports indicate these factions mirror the tactics of notorious groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, specifically targeting Christians and their symbols of faith.
Nigeria, already ranked among the most dangerous nations for Christians, entered 2026 facing a surge in violence. At least 70 people, the majority Christian, were killed during the Christmas and New Year period, with hundreds more displaced across the Middle Belt and northern regions.
The attacks were widespread, impacting Adamawa, Nasarawa, Plateau, and Niger states. Churches, homes, and bustling markets were deliberately targeted, leaving a landscape of devastation. In Adamawa, fourteen perished; in Nasarawa, Catholic priests were gravely wounded; and in Plateau, nine Christians were murdered on New Year’s Eve.
The most horrific event unfolded in Kasuwan Daji, Niger State, on January 3rd. At least fifty villagers were massacred, their homes and the local market burned to the ground. Women and children were abducted, their futures stolen by the brutality of the attack.
Sacred spaces were desecrated, and the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora reported a chilling lack of security response, allowing the militants to operate with impunity. The trauma was compounded by previous mass kidnappings, including the abduction of 315 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri just months before.
Villages remained under siege for days, with residents forced to seek refuge in the surrounding bushes, abandoned by any semblance of protection. While no group claimed responsibility, officials suspect the attackers were militants displaced by recent U.S. strikes targeting extremist groups.
Those strikes, authorized on Christmas Day, were intended to shield Christians from jihadist violence. The action, while cautiously welcomed by some, highlighted Nigeria’s deep-seated insecurity, where rural communities remain vulnerable to bandits, jihadists, and militias.
Since 2018, Fulani militias have increasingly encroached upon Christian farmland in the Middle Belt, prompting warnings of potential genocide. The airstrikes offered a rare moment of relief, a glimmer of hope after years of loss and displacement.
The United States responded by redesignating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom, a move that offered reassurance to Christian leaders and renewed hope for the ability to worship without fear. Yet, analysts cautioned that airstrikes alone cannot address the complex web of extremism, weak governance, and economic hardship fueling the violence.
