Nigerian terrorists who kill Christians suffer no retaliation

Last week, Fulani militants killed 21 Christians and left more than 10 seriously injured in Nigeria. Local sources have reported that these attacks are becoming more common and that the perpetrators are rarely held to account. The attack took place in Plateau State in the early hours of August 10, when armed Fulani herdsmen set fire to buildings housing a community of displaced Christians in Heipang, near the town of Jos in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. .

Masara Kim, a Jos-based journalist, reports that after setting fire to the houses, the extremists pointed their assault rifles at those trying to flee the fires. Kim visited the scene after the killings, explaining that the victims were “previously displaced from the surrounding villages” and found refuge in Heipang. He said about half of the victims “were burned beyond recognition,” and at least five of them were babies. Mr. Kim added, “It was a heartbreaking scene to witness. They were given a mass burial in a rain-soaked mass grave. They are poor villagers who don’t have money for food, much less for coffins.”

Father Polycarp Lubo, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Plateau State, said “systematic killings” like the one last week “have a long history” in the state. Father Lubo stressed that these atrocities must be investigated and that authorities must identify “the perpetrators of these evil acts,” but arrests are rare and those in positions of power are rarely willing to “say what’s going on.” . “The Nigerian authorities are doing nothing to help the thousands of Christians in the region who have been displaced after surviving the terrorist attacks.”