by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Fulani herdsmen attacked a Christian village in Plateau state, Nigeria, early Monday, killing 28 Christians, including a pastor, after reportedly being guided toward the homes of church leaders, according to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
The assault took place at about 2 a.m. on June 22 in Kawel village, Bokkos County, when armed Fulani terrorists stormed the community while residents were sleeping.
“We were inside our houses when the Fulani herdsmen invaded our village,” resident Jesse Peter Dukut told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “If anyone came out of their houses, they were shot at sight. And a sound from any of the houses in the village attracts shooting from the terrorists.”
Dukut said phone and telecommunications services had been cut, preventing villagers from calling security agencies for help as the attack unfolded.
According to Dukut, the attackers spoke in both Fulani and Hausa and were heard calling out the names of Christian leaders while directing others to hunt them down in their homes. He said the attackers appeared to be guided by local Fulani herdsmen from nearby villages.
“They killed my uncle and brothers,” Dukut said. “I narrowly escaped being shot.”
Among those killed was the Rev. Markus Nyam, pastor of the Church of Christ in Nations congregation in Kawel village. Resident Godswill Nuhu said members of Nyam’s congregation were also killed in the attack.
Church leaders in Bokkos confirmed the pastor’s death in a statement, saying they had received the news “with deep sadness.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and the entire community during this difficult time,” the statement said. “May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen!”
The attack is the latest in a long wave of violence against Christian farming communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where believers have repeatedly suffered deadly raids, church burnings, land seizures and abductions.
Christian leaders in Nigeria have long warned that many of the attacks are not merely disputes over land or grazing routes, but are tied to a broader campaign of religious persecution, forced displacement and Islamic expansion in Christian-majority communities.
According to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List, more Christians were killed in Nigeria than in any other country from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during that period, 3,490 were Nigerians, representing 72 percent of the global total. Nigeria ranked No. 7 among the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
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